Freedom's Not For Me
by Anonymous-Obsession13
Summary: AU: Sian and Sophie meet at random on a train one hot, sunny august afternoon. Now Sophie is reflecting back on her memories, stemming from this... Rated T for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so this is an adaption of my most recent school essay which I was quite proud of. It got an A1 which I think is the irish equivilent of an A*? Anyway, it's my favourite essay that I've was 9 pages of my essay copy but that was after I'd taken a few ideas out of it so I decided to bring back everything I had to cut out and adapt it to be about Sophie and Sian :P**

**Anyways, enough of my rambling, hope you enjoy, please R&R and let me know if you think I should continue with this! Happy Christmas everyone :)xxx**

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><p>I almost fell head first down the granite steps as I hurtled out of the building, running down the quiet street. I could vaguely see the flickering blur of the iron bars that joined the pillars of the stone wall as I ran past. I didn't know where I was going. I didn't care. I kept running, ignoring the fire of protest burning in my lungs. The hot sting of tears prickled threateningly at my eyes. As I eventually stopped running, believing one of my lungs was literally about to explode, I finally allowed the tears to fall, blurring my vision.<p>

I noticed an alleyway to my left and ventured inside in the hope of escaping the bustle of the city dwellers, going about their lives, completely oblivious to the torment I was enduring. Tears continued to fall thick and fast and I could feel bile rising up from inside me. Wretching violently, I leaned against one of the alley walls, supporting myself with one raised arm as I vomited into the gutter below me.

Once the wretching had subsided, I straightened up, wiping my mouth on my sleeve, still coughing and spluttering because of the vomiting. I moved further into the alleyway, until I had almost reached the other side. Deciding I could go no further, I slumped against the wall, defeated. Tears began to trickle down my cheeks once more as I slid to the ground. Resting my elbows on my knees, I buried my face in my palms. The tears turned to sobs as flickers of memories began to swim to the surface of my mind. I was powerless to stop it as I sank into those memories and they began to play across my mind like a film. It was as though I was reliving them….

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><p><strong>August 14<strong>**th****, 2007**

It was a roasting August afternoon. I'd been sitting on a train for the past forty minutes between a grouchy little old woman and a large, sweaty man in a filthy white vest. The combination of heat in the carriage and the stench of stale sweat made it almost impossible to breath. As the train began to slow, approaching the next stop, I glanced up at the map above the window which informed me that I had four more stops to go.

I was relieved when the fat sweaty man beside me got up to leave when the train stopped. The doors opened and the fresh air that filtered into the carriage was like heaven. I turned towards the door, my skin grateful for the cool breeze. It was then that I saw her for the first time.

She walked onto the train, struggling with the files and folders she carried in her arms. She wore a simple, white summer dress with little yellow flowers on it. She appeared exhausted but had a content smile on her face. Around her head she wore a thin yellow scarf. No hair fell from underneath the scarf.

She intrigued me. I wondered how a person could simultaneously appear so strong, proud and confident, yet also look frail and vulnerable.

A young man accidently knocked her possessions out of her arms as he left the train. Nobody seemed to notice as sheets, polypockets, folders and files slid across the floor of the train carriage. I'm not sure why but I suddenly felt compelled to help her. Getting up, I walked over to where she was crouched on the ground, scooping up her belongings. "Here, let me help you" I said, stooping down with her to help her pick up the mess of paperwork.

"Thanks" she replied, flashing me a genuine smile. Once we had gathered up all her stuff we sat down together. "Thanks for your help…" she said, trailing off in a way that reminded me we hadn't introduced ourselves yet.

"No problem, I'm Sophie by the way" I said holding out my hand. "Sian" she answered, taking my hand and shaking it gently. We sat in a comfortable silence for a few minute as she reorganised her folders. I watched on, becoming more and more curious about her. Something from her pile of paper caught my attention and before I could stop myself, I reached out and pulled it towards me.

She didn't do anything to stop me but her bright blue eyes followed my movements apprehensively. I unfolded the A3 sheet to reveal a pencil sketch of a city block. It was Manchester. It was incredible. I gazed at the drawing in awe for several minutes before I seemed to come to my senses.

"Um…Sorry" I mumbled sheepishly, handing her back the drawing. "It's amazing, are you an artist?" I asked before I could stop myself. I had never been one for talking to complete strangers or nosing about their possessions for that matter. There was something different about this girl. Not in the clichéd romantic movie kind of way. I couldn't explain it, she was just…..different.

"Thanks, I'm an architect actually. Well trying to be one. This is my portfolio, I'm on my way to a job interview in Manchester" she said quietly, a slight pink tinge colouring her pale cheeks. I gave her what I hoped was an encouraging smile.

"I'm sure you'll get it, if that sketch is anything to go by, your work is very impressive" I said, still smiling like a crazed lunatic.

"Thanks Sophie" she giggled. As the conversation flowed, she told me about college, studying architecture, how she enjoyed art and sketching the world around her in her free time. At this point we had passed through two of my remaining four stops. She turned the conversation to me, asking "So Sophie, do you always strike up conversations with total strangers on the train?" She let out a little giggle as she waited for my answer, flicking the end of her headscarf back over her shoulder.

"Eh, no actually, this is my first time" I answered, feeling my cheeks glow red as the words left my mouth. She made me slightly nervous. This was yet another thing I found intriguing about her. She was looking at me, waiting for me to say something but I became lost for words.

"What do you do for a living?" she asked, seemingly unphased by my lapse in social skills and giving me the kickstart I needed. I told her about my job as a chef in a restaurant in Manchester and from there the conversation rolled into motion once more.

I didn't ask her about the head scarf or the fact that she was bald. I wasn't stupid. Nor was I insensitive. I also realised that I really didn't know Sian, despite the fact that I really wanted to know her.

As it turned out, we got off the train at the same stop and so walked out of the train station together. As we stood outside the train station, waiting for taxis, I couldn't resist asking; "Sian…would you like to go for coffee…or a drink….with me sometime?" I shuffled nervously from foot to foot, suddenly finding a piece of chewing gum that was stuck to the ground was a fascinating spectacle.

"I'd like that very much" she answered happily as I began to grin like a cheshire cat. We arranged to meet for coffee the following day before she finally managed to hail a taxi.


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so this is part 2! Sorry it took so long but I've been preoccupied with visiting relatives and the celebration of my grandparents 60th Wedding** **Anniversary! Anywho, I managed to get all of this down this evening. Despite being utterly devastated by Sian's last episode! I think the part that got me most was when Sian said "if you ever make me feel this lonely and hurt again Sophie, I swear..." I'd already been in tears before that but just lost it completely for that part, I think my heart literally broke :'(**

**Okay, so anyways, getting back to this story, this chapter is longer than the first one but is kind of a filler...at least that's the excuse I'm going to use if you lot think it's crap! I'll be updating a bit more frequently this week until I got back to school but promise to continue this story til the end so long as there are still people interested. Hope you enjoy and all feedback/suggestions are greatly appreaciated xx**

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><p><strong>August 15<strong>**th**** 2007**

I stretched out in my bed, toying with the idea of going back to sleep. I hadn't opened my eyes yet and thought maybe I could slip back into the rather enjoyable dream I'd been having. I couldn't remember what had happened in it, just that it contained a pair of rather beautiful blue eyes that I was not yet ready to stop staring into. My alarm hadn't gone off yet, so I assumed I had some time left in my bed.

Daring to peek at the alarm clock, I suddenly realised how wrong I had been. "Bugger!" I muttered, leaping from my bed in a panic and rushing towards the bathroom to get ready for work. My alarm hadn't gone off and I was already late. Jeremy, my boss, had already warned me about being late. I knew he would flip out because I was due in at 9 a.m. and I was already going to be at least a half hour late. Stripping myself of the loose t-shirt and joggers I'd worn to bed I jumped into the shower.

I brushed my teeth in the shower in an effort to save time that didn't really work out to well as I ended up with toothpaste in my hair, meaning it wasted time rather than saving it. "Classy bird Webster!" I scolded myself as I dried my body before rushing back to my room to race around like a headless chicken while I tried to find my work clothes. After what felt like forever, I managed to dress myself and gather my belongings to get out for work. I was starting to get hungry but I knew I didn't have time for breakfast.

As I rushed out of my room and into the kitchen of the small flat I spotted a plate of toast sitting on the counter. "Katy, you legend" I whispered breathlessly as I grabbed a piece of toast from the plate before making my way out the door. I heard a faint call of "Oi, Sophie…" before the door shut and cut off the rest of what Katy was shouting at me. Katy was my best friend, we known each other since primary school and started living together when we both went to university in Manchester. Katy was a science teacher in a local secondary school. Personally, I thought she was insane for choosing a profession where she was surrounded by temperamental teenagers but any time I had voiced this opinion to her she countered by pointing out that I worked in a kitchen full of the adult equivalent of temperamental teenagers.

I'd always loved cooking and from my early teens seemed to have a flare for it so it seemed only natural that I would go on to train as a chef. At age twenty-three, I was sou-chef at a four star restaurant called 'The Lemongrass' in Manchester.

I arrived in the kitchen just after half past nine and Jeremy was immediately there to take my head off for it. "Webster" he screamed as I pulled my apron from the hook on the wall. I turned to him as I continued pulling on my apron.

"I know, I'm sorry, I'll go out and buy a new alarm clock this evening I promise" I said, moving over to the sink to wash my hands before I started work.

"You can't keep doing this Sophie. You do realise I could have you replaced at any moment, there are people queuing up for this job, people who would be grateful enough to have the opportunity that they'd be on time for work!" he began to rant. Ignoring him, I began chopping up the vegetables I would need to prepare the lunch menu.

I didn't need to listen to him, I'd heard the same rant every other time I'd been late. "Are you even listening to me?" he shouted in my face as I moved towards one of the stoves to start sautéing the vegetables for the risotto I was making.

"Yes Jeremy, I know I'm replaceable, it won't happen again" I murmured as I set to work. I knew he wouldn't sack me; he valued my abilities too much. I had a knack for adjusting simple food to make it exciting. Jack, the head chef, had often said he'd never seen a young chef progress as quickly as I had. That said, Jeremy never failed to get on my nerves. "I'm docking the half hour from your wages Webster!"

I spent the day focusing on meeting Sian for coffee to get me through. It was one of the longest days at work in my life. I couldn't wait to see her again. I wasn't quite sure why but I couldn't wait to get to know her. I still found her just as intriguing as I had the previous day on the train. By the time five p.m. came around I couldn't get out of the restaurant fast enough. It was only as I took my apron off that I realised in my rush to get to work in the morning, I'd forgotten to bring a change of clothes with me.

"Fuck it" I muttered as I made my way out the back kitchen entrance. I pulled my packet of cigarettes from the pocket of my checkered work pants as I walked towards the bus stop. I struggled with the cheap, flimsy lighter I had with me which seemed determined to spark without lighting. Eventually, I managed to get the cigarette lit and inhaled deeply, savouring the sensation as I arrived at the bus stop.

I began to get nervous as I sat on the bus, waiting for the stop that would take me to my meeting with Sian. She had been on my mind all day. I had been excited at the prospect of seeing her later but now faced with the reality of it I had butterflies bouncing angrily around my stomach. I couldn't explain it. She made me nervous despite the fact that I didn't really know her.

The bus finally made it to the Whetherfield stop and I bounded out of it. Sian and I had agreed to meet at Roy's Rolls on Coronation Street. I had been shocked when she suggested the place as I was originally from the street but she was currently staying with her sister who lived just around the corner from where I had grown up. Arriving at the familiar café, I glanced quickly through the window to check if Sian had arrived yet or not. She hadn't. I had hoped she would be there before me. Making my way into the small café I took a seat in the corner towards the back so that I would have perfect view of the front door. I realised I seemed insane but I wanted to see when Sian arrived.

I had drifted off into a daydream, staring vacantly in the direction of the door. I nearly fell out of my chair when someone cleared their throat beside me. "Hello Sophie, sorry didn't mean to startle you love" Hayley Cropper greeted. She ran the café with her husband Roy. "What can I get you?"

"Just a coffee please Hayley. Two sugars, no milk, thanks" I answered when I'd eventually managed to tune back into my surroundings. Checking the time, I noticed Sian was nearly fifteen minutes late. I began to curse myself for not getting her phone number. Hayley had brought me my coffee and Sian was getting close to being twenty minutes late. I began to wonder if she was standing me up. I started to think she probably had, she'd only met me the day before on the train.

I must have seemed like a right creep, looking through her drawings, asking her personal questions. I had once again drifted off into a daydream as I berated myself with criticism for scaring the poor girl when I was once again startled by somebody clearing their throat beside me. I was pleasantly surprised when I looked up to see Sian standing beside me and not Hayley again. Not that I had anything against Hayley, I was just happy to see Sian again. "H-hi" I stuttered, feeling a little bit stupid.

"Hey" she answered, sitting down opposite me, "Sorry I'm late, my sister had a boyfriend crisis and I couldn't get away" she apologised. I couldn't help but start grinning like a fool once more as I looked at her. She was wearing a long-sleeve white t-shirt with blue sleeves, grey skinny jeans, blue converse and a light blue head scarf.

"That's ok, I only just got here" I lied, once I'd managed to stop staring at her. I wondered briefly if I was freaking her out.

"I think that cold coffee would beg to differ" She giggled, pointing at the nearly empty cup in my hands. My cheeks flushed pink as she giggled once more. The sound was heavenly. "Nice outfit Sophie" she commented, reminding me I hadn't changed after work.

I looked down at myself to see my white jacket had what looked like tomato sauce spilled down one side of it and a mysterious green stain above the pocket. My black and white, check pants weren't much better off. I could feel my cheeks burning scarlet. "Um…I…eh…" I began to stutter nervously, wondering how best to apologise for my absurd appearance.

"Don't worry, it's cute" She laughed. Her reassurance did nothing to quell my embarrassment.

"That's okay, I know how strange I must look but what happened was, I was late for work this morning and I forgot to bring a spare change with me" I mumbled, my cheeks still glowing.

My embarrassment didn't last long as we ordered fresh coffees and slipped into conversation. I told her about growing up on Coronation Street with my parents and sister, Rosie and she in turn told me about growing up in Southport with her mum and little sister Jane. Her parents divorced when she was fourteen and her Dad moved to Manchester so they had spent summers and odd weekends here with him. I found it strange that we'd never met before yesterday considering her dad lived just a few streets over from my house. When she told me his name was Vinnie, I couldn't help but think my dad had mentioned the name in passing once or twice.

We talked for hours, about everything and anything. Our families, our friends, our hobbies, work, all the basics. We were getting to know each other. I found myself getting lost in her eyes several times as we talked. They were amazing. A beautiful blue colour with a sparkle I could neither explain nor get enough of hidden in them.

She was just telling me about the job interview she'd been to the day before when we were interrupted by a rather nervous-looking Roy Cropper. "Ex…excuse me ladies, but I'm afraid…I'll have t-to ask you to leave…we're clos…closing u-up" he stuttered.

"Okay then Roy, we'll get out of your hair" I joked. I had always had a soft spot for the timid man.

"No, it's n-not that you…what I mean to say is you aren't…it's just" Roy began rambling in his typical nervous fashion.

"We know Roy, we'll get going. See you soon and give Hayley my best" I said, giving him a kind smile.

As we left the café, we began to wander aimlessly along the footpath. I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to Sian just yet. "So did you get it then?" I asked eventually, breaking the comfortable silence we'd fallen into.

"What?" Sian asked, looking at me confused.

"The architect job" I elaborated, giggling slightly as a sheepish expression spread across her face.

"Oh that! Um, I dunno, they said they'd get back to me" she mumbled quietly, shifted her gaze towards her feet. Her forehead creased and her eyebrows came slightly closer together. "I don't think I've got it if I'm honest" she admitted.

I hadn't been able to stop noticing the little things about her since she'd first arrived in the coffee shop. I wanted to take in all of her. Every facial expression, every habit, every little quirk, just…..everything.

"You need to have a little more faith in yourself. I bet you get it" I said, gently nudging her arm as we walked. She gave me a small smile and I could tell she thought I was just trying to be nice but based on what I'd seen of her work the day before I genuinely thought she'd get the job. "I bet you dinner that you get that job!" I said confidently.

"You're on" she laughed.

We ended up down by the canal and spent another couple of hours just talking and laughing. We'd completely lost track of time until Sian's phone rang, interrupting her mid-laugh. Her sister called wondering where she was as she'd been expected back home a few hours ago. Checking the time, I realise it was nearly 10p.m. although it was still quite bright, even for an august night.

"I better head home" she sighed as she hung up the phone. I nodded, slightly more solemn at the thought of having to say goodbye to her. "Walk me?" she asked, a small smile spreading across her lips.

We fell into one of our comfortable silences as we walked, glancing at each other occasionally. As we rounded a corner, coming off Coronation Street, Sian slipped her hand into mine. Initially I gave a start at the unexpected contact, but quickly entwined our fingers.

"Thank you for this evening Sophie, I really enjoyed myself" Sian said as we came to a halt outside her sister's house.

"My pleasure" I mumbled another cheesy grin spreading across my face. She let go of my hand and I immediately missed the contact. "Can I see you again?" I asked, mentally kicking myself for being so abrupt. She didn't say anything. She stepped towards me and slipped her hand into the front pocket of my trousers, reminding me once more how stupid I must look in my work clothes.

She pulled out my phone and began typing something into it. "There, now you have my number" she said, handing the phone back, "Call me soon" she added before placing a small, soft kiss on my cheek. I thought my heart might explode from the excitement of that simple kiss. I could still feel her lips on my cheek after she'd pulled back. "See you later Soph" she said, swinging around nonchalantly and heading towards the house.

I released a breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding before flipping my phone open. I started scrolling down through my contacts until I found her. She had put her number under _'Sianxx'_. I smiled as I looked at it before pressing the call button. She was only at the front door so I could hear her ring tone from where I stood on the footpath. I watched as she fished her phone out of her handbag and answered it.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Just checking" I said, a smirk settling on my face. She turned to face me shaking her head and laughing.

"You're such a goof" she laughed.

"Are you free tomorrow?" I asked, suddenly feeling quite brave. I could still feel her lips against my cheeks.

"Yeh" she answered, quirking her eyebrow as she struggled to contain her laughter at how ridiculous I was being. "Why? What did you have in mind?"

"I'll think of something" I assured her.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then Soph" She laughed before waving goodbye.

"Bye" I said hanging up the phone with another big stupid grin on my face. I waited until she'd gotten into the house before I turned and started walking back towards the bus stop on Coronation Street. I no longer cared about how stupid I must have looked in my chef's uniform. I couldn't stop thinking about how perfect my evening had been and how perfect tomorrow would be. I didn't care what happened the day after so long as I got to see Sian again. She was still as intriguing as ever.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed and hoping to have part 3 up on Sunday night :) Until then hope everybody has an amazing night tomorrow! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!xx<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok, so I know I said I'd have this update up by last night but I got a little side-tracked by which I mean I fell asleep on the couch after I got back from work! Anywho's, I hope you like this one because I'm not all that happy with it :P **

**I want to thank everybody for the positive feedback I've recieved, wheter from reviews or the favourite author/story adds and author/story alerts! It really does mean alot :) **

**Here's part 3, please R&R xx**

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><p><strong>September 21<strong>**st**** 2007**

Having known Sian for over a month I was beginning to forget what life was like without her. I had met her sister Jane, who was very protective of her and even though she didn't say anything I could sense that she was uncomfortable with my presence in her sister's life. I came to learn that Jane was probably the most important person in Sian's life. They were just as much best friends as they were sisters. Jane looked a little like Sian, she also had blond hair but her eyes were green and she was at least an inch shorter.

I had of course found out the reason she'd been wearing that yellow headscarf the day we met. She had had lung cancer but had beaten it after a few rounds of chemotherapy. She was diagnosed a couple of months before she sat her final exams in college and had to repeat her final year after she'd recovered. Her hair was only just starting to grow back and she wasn't comfortable with the looks she got from strangers when she wasn't wearing a headscarf, hat or bandana. She told me of her insecurity over it when I saw her without a headpiece for the first time about a week ago. I told her she had no reason to be self-conscious because she was the most beautiful person I'd ever met, at which point she called me a "cheesy git" and slapped my arm playfully.

Sian and I saw each other several days a week and hadn't gone a day without speaking on the phone or texting each other. Sian had become a frequent visitor to mine and Katy's flat and I was thrilled to see how well she and Katy got along. I knew I fancied her but I never said anything, I didn't want to push her away. Even Katy could see I fancied her and had started saying "Oh just ask her out already" when I wouldn't shut up about Sian.

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><p>I was making my way back to my bedroom, having just gotten out of the shower. I could hear One Republic's song 'Apologise' blaring from the radio in the kitchen, letting me know Katy was up. As I reached my bedroom door my phone started to ring. Rushing into my bedroom, I dashed across to my bed and snatched up the phone. A smile instantly spread across my lips when I saw Sian's name on the screen. "Hey" I said, answering the call.<p>

"Sophieeeeeeyou'llneverguesswhat'sjusthappened" she screeched excitedly down the phone.

"Sian…Sian calm down, I can't understand what you're saying. What's happened?" I asked unable to stop myself from chuckling at her excitement.

"I got the architect job!" she blurted out excitedly, letting out an adorable little squeal of excitement as she finished speaking. I was beginning to think the smile on my face would become a permanent fixture.

"Sian that's amazing! I told you you'd get it, congratulations" I said once she'd calmed down enough to let me get a word in.

"I never thought they'd call me back, I was sure they'd give it to the guy who went in before me because his portfolio was so much thicker and neater than mine but then they call me today and asked if I could start on Monday" she gushed.

"Right, we're doing something to celebrate tonight, what would you like to do?" I asked, her excitement was rubbing off me and I could feel pride swelling in my chest.

"I lost the bet though" she said, slightly more quietly than before.

"What?" I asked, utterly confused. Sian had a tendency to think I could read her mind so if she went off on another train of thought, she would say something relating to what she was thinking about, assuming I would know what she was on about, even if it had nothing to do with what we were talking about. It was one of the things I loved about her. I assumed now was one of those times.

"You made a bet with me that day outside 'Roy's' that I would get the job. I owe you dinner" she clarified. I could almost hear the smirk I knew would be fixed on her lips at that moment.

"Are you asking me out Ms Powers?" I joked "And anyway, you're the one who got the new job, so I should treat you" I added before she could reply.

"Maybe I am" she said cheekily "but I am not letting you pay for it. I lost that bet fair and square" she said sternly.

"Okay, how about a compromise?" I asked

"We're not going twosies!" she argued. I couldn't help but giggle at her choice of word.

"No, I was going to suggest you come over here and I'll cook for you. What do you think?" I explained.

"That sounds perfect" she said in an almost whisper. She had been commenting a lot recently on how she'd never had my food so I figured it was as good an opportunity to show her what I could do as any.

"Okay good, how does 7 tonight suit you?" I asked, as I felt butterflies begin to swirl around the pit of my stomach.

"Perfect. See you then Soph" she answered. I had never paid much attention to the nickname when other people used it but with Sian I couldn't get enough of hearing her say it. I knew I had it bad. I knew I was falling for her.

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><p>It was nearing 7p.m. and I was incredibly nervous. I had thrown myself into the cooking to try to quell my nerves a bit. I had the radio turned up loud, singing along, quite badly, to each song that played as I prepared the chicken Kiev's I had planned for dinner with Sian. Katy had gone out with Chesney for the night so Sian and I would have the apartment to ourselves.<p>

I heard the buzzer for the apartment go and quickly wiped my hands on my apron before rushing over to answer it. "Hello?" I said picking up the receiver, although I was pretty certain I knew who it would be.

"Hey, it's only me" a heavenly voiced replied.

"I'll buzz you right up madam" I laughed before placing the receiver back down and pressing the buzzer to let her into the building. I just had time to move the large dish full of homemade chips from the sink to beside the fryer before I heard a soft knocking on the flat door. I rushed towards the door, pulling off my apron as I went, regretting my choice of clothing immediately. I began to wish I'd made more of an effort; I was wearing black skinny jeans and my favourite long-sleeve, dark grey diesel top with red and white lettering on the front of it. My hair was loose and curly.

I opened the door to a grinning Sian. She immediately embraced me in a bone crushing hug. I let the door swing shut behind us as we made our way into the flat. "The food will be ready soon, do you want something to drink?" I asked, following Sian into the kitchen. She looked gorgeous. Her clothes were simple but she still looked stunning. She was wearing a light blue, high-waisted dress with little ruffled sleeves and buttons, running down the front to the crinkled elastic waist line.

"Um, ya please, have you got any apple juice in?" She asked, making me laugh. Sian had a sort of obsession with apple juice, she just loved the stuff. Before I met her I would rarely have bought it, but now I always made sure to keep some in the fridge for when she came over.

"Yeh, help yourself, I'll just get these on" I said gesturing towards the chips. I could feel her watching me and noticed her jump a little when I put the chips into the fryer causing it to emit a large hissing sound.

"Did you make everything from scratch?" She asked in apparent awe, moving towards me.

"Well, um, ya, I guess so. I've got chicken kievs in the oven. I hope you like spicy cause I made a spicy filling for them and" I started to explain.

"Wait" she interrupted me, "You put the filling into the chicken yourself?" she asked and I could see the excitement building in her eyes as I nodded in response. "Wow, Soph that's so cool! What else did you do?"

"I bread-crumbed the chicken and I'm baking the veg in sweet chilli sauce in the oven. Then for desert I thought you might like lemon meringue pie so I made that earlier and left it in the fridge" I finished, moving over to the fryer to take the chips out. They were a perfect golden colour as I tipped them into the kitchen towel lined dish I had waiting.

I could feel Sian behind me looking over my shoulder. "You're amazing Sophie Webster. You amaze me" She said sincerely as I turned back to face her, a furious blush colouring my cheeks and my heart-rate increasing ten-fold. She planted a sweet kiss on my cheek and I felt like my heart might explode. I looked into her eyes and it took every last bit of my will power not to lean in and kiss her.

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><p>Dinner was a success. Sian loved the food and even went so far as to rave about it long after it was gone. "You're going to regret this you know" She said as we sat on the couch, the tv on low in the back ground.<p>

"What's that?" I asked, taking a sip out of my glass of pear cider.

"I'm going to want you to cook for me all the time now" She giggled, placing her wine glass on the coffee table in front of her.

I sighed contently as she turned back to face me. "I'd be happy to" I mumbled, looking into her perfect blue eyes. Sian took my glass out of my hand and placed it down on the table beside her own.

We were staring into each other's eyes, neither one of us willing to break the others gaze. My heart was beating ninety miles per hour as she glanced down at my lips and my breathing became heavier as she licked her own lips. "Soph" she whispered gently as she leaned in towards me and captured my lips with her own. I was only too happy to reciprocate.

Sian slid her arms around my neck and I rested mine on her hips as she pushed me back into the couch. I felt her tongue move across my bottom lip and it wasn't long before our tongues came to meet in a passionate battle for dominance. We broke apart when air became an issue.

We were lying down on the couch. Sian was on top of me and we were gazing into each other's eyes, getting lost in what we saw there. She pecked my lips softly a couple of times. "wow" I murmured softly, cringing at how pathetic I sounded.

A grin spread across Sian's face as I blushed scarlet. "Sophie?" she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"Ya?" I questioned almost inaudibly.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" she asked, a nervous undertone in her voice as she spoke.

I couldn't help but break into another one of the manic grins she seemed to inspire in me as I leaned in and kissed her tenderly once more. "Of course" I mumbled as I pulled back to look at her again. My heart swelled to bursting point with happiness. Sian Powers was my girlfriend. What could be better than that?

I was about to lean in for another kiss when the apartment door burst open and Katy rushed inside, clearly upset. We both jumped up from the couch in shock only to be confronted with a tearful Katy.

"Mate what's happened, are you ok?" I asked, concerned by how clearly upset my best friend was. Even if she had just ruined the amazing moment I'd just been having with Sian.

"It's Ches, we've just had a massive row…I think he's gonna end it after this one Soph" she cried rushing forward to cling onto me as she cried.

"I'll go make us all a brew" Sian said quietly, gesturing towards the kitchen. I knew she was giving Katy and I a chance to speak to each other alone for a minute so I flashed her a grateful smile and mouthed "thank you" before returning my attention to Katy.

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><p><strong>That's that I guess! hope you liked and I will have part 4 up as soon as possible :)xx<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, i'm really sorry this has taken so long but I've been up to my eyeballs trying to finish Hamlet essays before I got back to school on Monday! I'm repeating my final year so you'd think I'd have a better handle on this but I'm still a serious procrastinator when it comes to Hamlet! He's just such a moany git! :P I meant to have this update posted straight after work tonight but I ended up watching the Michael Collins movie with my dad. (For those who don't know he was a hero in Irish history!)**

**Okay, I'm probably getting on your nerves with my irrelevant ramblings! Here goes, I made this one extra long as a sorry for the fact that it's taken me so long to update! I hope ye like it and that it isn't too soppy! I'm a hopeless romantic me ;) Also I promise to update as often as is possible but it won't be everyday as I've got my mocks coming up in febuary! however, i do promise I will continue this story to the very end so long as people still want to read it! :)**

**Ok ok, now I'm really shutting up, promise! Here's part 4 :)**

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><p><strong>October 3<strong>**rd**** 2007**

"Are you sure I look okay?" I asked nervously, adjusting the red top I was wearing. Sian had decided to arrange a meal at her sister's house in the hope of resolving whatever it was that was off between me and Jane, although she preferred to say it was in the hope of us establishing some sort of friendship. I had told her Jane didn't like me but Sian insisted that was only because she didn't know me.

We were parked outside Jane's house, about to arrive for said dinner party. Sian was certain we'd be great friends if we gave each other a chance. Having met Jane three or four times since Sian and I officially became a couple, I thought it safe to say this was wishful thinking. Jane seemed to like me less and less every time she saw me.

"Babe relax, you look great" Sian tried to reassure me once more. She had to say that. She picked the top I was wearing while we were out shopping last week. "Now come on, we've been sitting here for nearly ten minutes, if she's noticed it'll look weird" Sian giggled pecking me on the cheek before she climbed out of my car.

"Bugger!" I grumbled, joining her on the footpath, clutching the bottle of wine we'd picked up on the way in my left hand.

"I can't believe you're getting so worked up about this" Sian said as she slipped her hand into my free one and she pecked my cheek again. "You're so cute!" she giggled.

"And you're so patronising" I quipped back, "being serious though, I have every reason to be nervous. She's your sister. One of the most important people in your life. Her opinion matters to you so that means her opinion of your girlfriend matters. And she already thinks I'm not good enough for you" I had started to ramble and I couldn't stop.

"Sophie!" Sian said sternly, taking my face in her hands gently. "Shut up, you'll be fine. Just relax, she won't bite. Be yourself and everything will be fine" she said. I felt calmer already and then she managed to take my mind off it completely when she leaned in and captured my lips in a slow, tender kiss. I got lost in her and immediately reciprocated. As I was about to deepen the kiss Sian pulled back. "Now, come on you" she whispered, taking my hand in hers once more and leading me towards the front door.

"Oh and she's not a great cook so just be nice about it" she added quickly before knocking on the door.

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><p>Sian was right. Jane wasn't a very good cook. She had made oven baked cod fillets with parsley sauce that was obviously made from an instant powder with mash and veg. I didn't complain. I even went as far as to compliment her and offer to do the dishes. So me and Jane's boyfriend Henry did the dishes while Sian and Jane sat on the couch chatting.<p>

"Is it just me, or are they talking about me?" I asked jokingly as I passed Henry the plate I'd just washed.

"Ya, they are" he laughed "Don't worry though, Jane's bark is worse than her bite. She's just protective of her little sister since Sian was ill" He added gently as he put the plate away and took the next one from me. I liked Henry, we got on really well.

"So, do you reckon I've got a chance here?" I asked as he took the last of the plates from me and started drying it. He pretended to consider it before giving me an answer.

"Ya, you do. Sian's crazy about you and from what I've seen she's a good judge of character. It's only a matter of time before Jane caves and admits she thinks you're good for Sian. Which you are by the way, I haven't seen her this happy in a very long time" Henry said, placing the now dry plate in the cupboard with the others. A sense of pride swelled in my chest at his words, filling me with a warm happy feeling. "Come on, we'll go bring our ladies some fresh drinks, earn you some more brownie points" he joked, nudging me playfully.

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><p>The night was going well, Jane was a lot more friendly towards me than she had been during our previous encounters. Though I suspected Sian might have had something to do with that. I wasn't going to complain though. Sian and Jane were slightly tipsy from the amount of wine they'd managed to consume while Henry and I were doing the dishes. I hadn't been drinking because I knew I'd have to drive home.<p>

"Soph, I'm getting sleepy" Sian said pulling a pouty face as she draped her arms around my shoulders. She had decided to stay the night at my apartment tonight. Something she'd been doing a lot recently. Not that I was complaining. I loved holding her in my arms as we drifted off to sleep. We hadn't had sex yet. I didn't want to push her so I was going to wait for Sian to make the first move.

"Okay, come on then" I said, standing and turning back to help her up. "Jane, thank you for this evening, I've had a lovely time" I said politely as Sian clung to my side. I could tell she was bordering on drunk from the way she was giggling at nothing in particular.

Jane nodded clumsily in response. "I think I was wrong about you Sophie. You are good for my baby sister" she said, slurring slightly.

"I told you she was great" Sian giggled, pressing a sloppy kiss to the side of my head.

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><p><strong>October 16<strong>**th**** 2007**

It was a stormy night outside. Rain and wind pounded against the apartment windows, making me all the more grateful to have a roof over my head. Katy had called earlier to say she would be staying with Chesney for the night, not wanting to brave driving home in the stormy weather. I suspected the fact that she and Ches had gotten over their bickering and were back in a good place with each other was more to do with her not coming home than the weather was.

I was in the kitchen preparing dinner for me and Sian. I had decided to make her cornflake chicken after recently finding out she'd never even heard of it. Sian was curled up under a blanket on the couch reading a book. Things were going brilliantly for us. We'd officially been a couple for just over three weeks now and I was the happiest I'd ever been. I'd already parboiled some potatoes which I chopped up and then placed on the tray with the chicken before placing the tray into the oven. I filled a glass of apple juice to bring to Sian, wondering if I'd ever understand her obsession with it.

I made my way towards the living room, stopping at the kitchen door to admire my blond beauty. I stayed watching her as she read for a few moments. She was wearing her reading glasses and her fingertips were pulling at her lip absentmindedly as she got lost in her story. Eventually managing to snap myself out of my Sian-induced trance, I made my way towards the couch, approaching the back of it quietly. She was so engrossed in her book that she hadn't seemed to have noticed me come into the room.

I brought the glass of apple juice out in front of her with one hand, wrapping my other arm around her shoulders. "Here we go" I mumbled kissing the side of her head as she looked up at the glass suspended in front of her.

"Cheers babe" she said, taking the glass from me and bringing it to her lips to take a sip. I brought my now apple juice free arm back to join its companion around her shoulders.

"Dinner will be ready in about twenty five minutes" I informed her, pecking her temple again. "What are you reading?" I asked, noticing her eyes slip back to the page she was on as she leaned her head back into my chest.

"To Kill A Mockingbird, it's my favourite" she eventually informed me, apparently having reached the end of the page she was on as she slipped her book mark into the book and placed it down on the arm of the couch. "Come sit with me?" she asked, turning back to place a small kiss on my cheek.

I happily obliged, walking around the couch to sit beside her. She took another swig from her apple juice before placing the glass down on the coffee table in front of her and switching her position on the couch so she could snuggle into me. I couldn't resist kissing the top of her head as she settled into me. She had switched her shampoo recently to a mandarin and melon one. I had been sceptical when I saw her pick up the bottle in the shop the other day but was glad she did because she smelled even more amazing now.

"Have you read it?" she asked, sighing contently.

"Um, no, I'm not much of a reader" I said, not thinking it mattered all that much. Apparently I was wrong.

"What?" she gasped, tilting her head back to look at me, "Are you serious? But it's a classic! It's my favourite book! Promise me you'll read it" she said sincerely.

"I promise I'll try" I tried to compromise "I told you I'm not much of a reader". This seemed to be good enough for Sian though as she lowered her head back to it's normal positions, snuggling back into me.

Everything had been going brilliantly since Sian and I had gotten together. The only obstacle we'd had to deal with so far was that Sian didn't like me smoking. This was understandable, especially considering the illness she'd come through before I'd met her. I had promised not to smoke around her and this worked except for when she'd kiss me after I'd had a fag. She'd grimace as she pulled away and tell me "You taste like smoke". Luckily I wasn't a serious smoker, more of a social and nervous smoker. That is, I only smoked when I was drinking or if I was stressed or nervous about something.

Jane was furious when she found out I smoke, going as far as to call Sian stupid for being with a smoker after being so sick. After that Jane had attacked me about it and since I'd decided to quit. I hadn't told Sian this yet because after Jane had screamed at me Sian had come over to apologise and insisted it was my choice and I shouldn't feel guilty over it. That didn't stop me feeling guilty about it though.

"What you thinking about?" she asked, bringing me out of my thoughts. She was looking at me, waiting for a reply but I decided to wait until after dinner to tell her the news.

"Nothing really" I replied, wrapping my arms more around her and kissing her forehead. I could do that a million times a day and I swear I'd still never get enough of doing it. Her head was resting on my chest so I couldn't see her face but I could tell she was smirking. "I better go check on dinner or we'll be having charred chicken for dinner" I said. She sighed as she moved from her comfortable position to allow me to get up from the couch.

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><p>We had just finished dinner and were sitting on the couch as Sian told me how much she enjoyed the cornflake chicken, telling me it was going on her favourites list. I had made quite a lot of it because I knew Katy would kill me if she knew I'd made it and hadn't saved her any. We had stuck a movie in, mainly for background noise, as we sat chatting and stealing occasional kisses on the couch.<p>

It was getting close to ten o' clock when it happened. The room was dimly lit with only the light from the tv screen and the street lamp outside where I'd forgotten to close the balcony curtains. The room was illuminated as lightening flashed across the sky followed after by a great crash of thunder from outside. Sian yelped in fear and cuddled in closer to me.

Before this, I hadn't known she was afraid of thunder and lightening but I have to admit I found it adorable as she cuddled in to me in search of safety. "Hey, it's okay" I soothed, wrapping my arms around her. Thunder storms had never bothered me.

Sian jumped in fright as more lightening flashed across the sky. I wrapped my arms more tightly around her, squeezing her gently into a hug. "Do you want me to close the curtains babe?" I asked in a whisper, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

She shook her head, holding tighter onto me. "No, just hold me" she mumbled. After a few minutes, the storm seemed to be calming down and Sian seemed a little more relaxed. However this didn't last long as soon there was more thunder and lightening. Suddenly the telly clicked off, as did the street lamp outside the balcony. Sian let out a scream, burying her face in my shoulder.

I tried to sooth her but it didn't seem to be working as there was another clap of thunder in the dark sky. I felt her body shake in a frightened sob. "Come here" I mumbled into the darkness, rubbing her back again as she clung to me her face still buried in my neck. She was crying now and I was running out of ideas to sooth her when suddenly I had what I felt was a moment of pure genius!

I pushed her gently back so that she was facing me and slowly brought my hands to her face so I could wipe away her tears with the pads of my thumbs. I leaned in to give her a gentle kiss before leaning away and slowly feeling around the coffee table in the dark.

"What are you doing Soph?" she asked timidly. I had put a load of Frank Sinatra music on my ipod last week after finding out it was Sian's favourite.

"Making it better" I said tenderly as I found what I was looking for. I pulled the head phones towards me, hearing the ipod drag across the table. Picking it up, I unlocked it, blinking at the bright light before scrolling down through my artists.

I heard Sian sniff beside me as she watched on. Finally finding what I was looking for I pulled her towards me and guided her up from the couch so that we were standing in the middle of my living room. "What are we doing?" she asked quietly.

"Dance with me" I requested, pulling the headphones out of my ipod and tossing them behind me.

"What?" she asked sceptically as I wrapped my arms around her waist.

"Dance with me" I repeated, pressing play on the song I had chosen and slipping the ipod into the back pocket of Sian's jeans.

"Oh" she mumbled wrapping her arms around my neck as the Frank Sinatra's version of _'Everybody loves somebody'_ started to play. "My favourite song" she whispered as we started to sway slowly to the music.

She didn't speak again until half way through the song. We were still swaying gently in time to her favourite song. "I'm sorry Soph" she almost whispered.

"What for?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"You must think I'm pathetic… crying at thunder and lightening" she mumbled, clearly embarrassed.

"Hey, don't be daft. Everybody has something they're afraid of…..And you're one of the strongest people I've ever met" She cut me off by kissing me before I could finish what I was saying.

Pulling back she rested her forehead against mine. We were still moving with the music as the song came to it's end. "I love you Sophie" Sian said genuinely. It was the happiest moment of my life so far. I felt like my heart might literally burst.

"I love you too Sian" I replied, kissing her in a slow, tender yet passionate kiss.

"What are you afraid of?" she asked as we broke from what I can only describe as the best kiss of my life.

"Don't laugh" I warn, giving her a look.

"I won't" she says, looking deep into my eyes.

"Camels" I rush out bluntly. A look of confusion passes across her face, transitioning into a flicker of disbelief before a small giggle slips from her mouth. "you said you wouldn't laugh" I scolded petulantly.

"Camels? are you serious?" She asked, still fighting off the giggles.

"Yeh, when I was a kid one knocked me over when my Dad brought me and Rosie to the circus and then I started havin nightmares about a camel using me as a pacifier" I admitted, grateful she couldn't see that my cheeks were glowing red in the dark. She couldn't resist it and finally burst out laughing.

"What do you mean a pacifier?" she asked, gasping for air as she finally managed to stop laughing.

"Well you know those pacifier things babies suck one...one of those...so i'd be covered in it's gooey spit and..." I trailed off shuddering in disgust.

Sian giggled again before pecking me on the lips once more. "You're such a goof sometimes!" she laughed.

"Shut up" I mumbled

"I love you" she whispered before capturing my lips once more.

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><p><strong>Well that's that! Hope it wasn't too rubbish! :P Feedback will be greatly appreciated ;)<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everybody, I just want to apologise for leaving this soooo long. i meant to post something last week but then my Dad went into hospital so I was understandably distracted, what with being so worried about him. He's home now and all seems to be going well but I couldn't update yesterday because I've got tonsilitus and spent most of yesterday in bed with a fever, headaches and the worst sore throat ever! Went to the docs yesterday and got antibiotics and painkillers so while I was feeling a bit better today I thought I'd reward your patience with an update!**

**If this update is crap I'm choosing to blame it on how ill I've been and the meds I'm on! Also I haven't spell checked this one because frankly I'm still really tired!**

**Anywhoo! Here's part 5, hope you like it and please R&R. All feedback will be greatly appreciated and who knows, it might make me feel well enough to write another update tomorrow ;)**

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><p><strong>November 9<strong>**th**** 2007**

"WEBSTER!" Jeremy's irritating voice shouted across the kitchen.

"What is it?" I asked, not taking my attention off the crab claws I was preparing for the dinner menu.

"What have you done?" he snapped from beside me, making me jump as I hadn't realised he'd crossed the kitchen to stand beside me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, genuinely confused as I finally turned to look at him.

"Don't you dare speak to me like that! I'm your employer Webster. Remember that!" he shouted. I hadn't been at all rude or in any way disrespectful when I asked him but based on past experience I knew better than to correct him or retaliate. "There's a customer at table three who's asked to see the chef" he ranted, "I swear if there was something wrong with her meal or if she has any complaints whatsoever, I'll dock your wages to pay for it".

"Alright" I said, wondering what on earth I had supposedly done. I started to feel a little nervous because I was covering for Ciaran, the head chef today, so anything that went wrong would be my fault. I made my way out to the main part of the restaurant, still baffled as to what could have happened. It wasn't until table three came into view that I relaxed. Sian was sitting there. Smirking at me. "Good afternoon miss, I'm Chef Webster, is there anything I can help you with?" I asked, struggling to contain the laughter threatening to burst from my mouth.

"Well, I was wondering if you could help me actually. It's been an awfully long time since I've seen my girlfriend…" she said casually, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as she finished her sentence. I couldn't help but grin as I leaned in, stopping just out of her reach as she leaned up, trying to kiss me.

"I missed you" I whispered playfully. It had been four days since I'd last seen her. She had gone to Southport with Jane for a few days to see her family. She cupped my cheeks in her hands and pulled me a little closer, resting her forehead against mine.

"It's only been four days" she giggled quietly. I inhaled deeply, enjoying the heavenly scent of her mandarin shampoo.

"Four days is too much" I mumbled, pecking her lips as lightly as possible.

"I missed you too" she whispered against my lips, before pressing her lips against mine in a slow, meaningful kiss.

I pulled out of the kiss and sat down in the chair opposite her at the small table. I placed my hands over hers on the table. "So, did you actually even order anything or did you just want to see me in my uniform?" I joked, eliciting a giggle from Sian.

"I had the seafood fettuccine actually. It was amazing. Seeing you in your uniform was just an added bonus, you know I've got a thing for women in black and white chequered pants!" she laughed. I couldn't resist stealing a kiss from her. "Seriously though, I wanted to know if you're free tonight?" she asked, squeezing my hand affectionately.

"Sorry babe, tenner an hour on Friday nights" I joked, earning myself a nudge in the ribs from her. "Ya I am, should be done here around six, what did you have in mind?" I asked.

"I was thinking we could go see a movie or something" She answered, playing with my fingers.

"Yeh, what movie did you have in mind?" I asked, already looking forward to spending time with her.

"Mmmm, either Bee Movie or No Country For Old Men!" she suggested.

"Tough choice" I said sarcastically, "You pick"

"Fine, but no complaining if you don't like whichever one I decide on" she said in a mock stern voice.

"Deal. I better get back to work before Jeremy comes looking for me, text me the time and where you want to meet" I said giving her one last kiss.

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><p>We ended up going to see Bee Movie because No Country For Old Men had only just been released and tickets were sold out by the time we arrived. Sian had insisted it didn't matter because she said <em>she didn't like it when the theatre was too crowded anyway.<em> So here we were sitting through the cartoon movie in the almost empty theatre. I didn't really find the movie that interesting but Sian seemed to be getting a laugh out of it so I was happy. The film had already been going on for an hour when Sian leaned over and whispered "Soph" in my ear.

"Yeh?" I asked, turning to face her. She looked beautiful as ever and even in the darkened cinema room I could see the sparkle in her blue eyes. Without saying anything else she leaned in and captured my lips with her own. I didn't need any further encouragement and kissed her back eagerly. I felt like it had been too long since I had gotten to kiss her.

Things were starting to get a little bit heated when we were reminded that we weren't alone by a young voice behind us rather loudly asking, "Mummy, look, what are them two girls doing?" Sian broke the kiss first and we both glanced back quickly to see a small boy, no older that five, tugging at his mother's sleeve and pointing at us. His mother didn't seem too pleased and shot us a dirty look. I was about to say something to her when Sian burst into a fit of giggles, burying her face in my shoulder in an attempt to hide it.

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><p>When the movie finished we made our way out of the cinema and started walking back towards my car hand in hand. We were just at the entrance to the car park when a voice called from behind us. "Oi!" Not taking any notice, we continued walking but then the voice got louder. "Oi. Ladies" I didn't like the sound of it but turned around none the less.<p>

"Can we help you with something?" I asked, irritated. It was a young boy with a group of mates behind him. They couldn't have been any older than fifteen.

"I know the cure" he shouted as his mates started laughing.

"For what?" Sian asked sounding as confused as I felt.

"It's my cock!" he shouted back. I began to get annoyed at that and was about to go over there and confront him when Sian spoke up.

"You need to at least wait til you've hit puberty before you can start talking like that. Go home to your mummy, I'm sure it's well past your bedtime" She called and I felt a proud smirk sneak onto my face.

"Give her a kiss" another one of the lads shouted, much to the approval of the rest of the group. I had balled my free hand into a fist in an attempt to control my temper.

"You know what…if Blondie grew her hair out long, it'd be less obvious you were dykes" the first kid shouted again. I felt Sian's grip on my hand tighten as I lost my temper. I could feel rage building inside of me and I began walking towards the group of lads. They had taken it too far and I wanted to let them know it.

"Soph, no…please" Sian whimpered, trying to pull me back. I was about ready to lamp him. I didn't care if he was only fifteen and I could get arrested for assaulting a minor. Nobody got to speak to my Sian that way.

"You take that back or I'll make sure you wish you'd never been born" I growled, towering over him.

"You won't touch me" he retorted, sounding a lot less confident now that I was standing in front of him. I could see his little mates backing away in my peripheral vision. I knew it was only a matter of seconds before they took off.

"Apologise to her now" I said through gritted teeth, shoving him a little. My breaths were coming out short and heavy, I had well and truly lost my patience with this kid.

"Sophie, just leave it" Sian whispered urgently.

"Go on then, Apologise!" I shouted in his face, taking a fist full of his hoody in my hand. His friends ran for it. Cowards. I knew they would. Bullies don't' normally hang around after they've been confronted.

"I… I'm sorry" he mumbled. I knew I'd scared him and I was glad.

"You'd bloody well better be and if I ever see you again, I won't be so nice to you" I said menacingly as I let go of his hoody. He took off running in the same direction his friends had gone.

My breathing was still heavy as I watched him scarper. "Soph" Sian whispered timidly. I didn't respond. I was still trying to calm myself down. It wasn't the lesbian digs that had gotten to me. I was used to things like that having had to deal with it in secondary school. It was the fact that the little scumbag had insulted Sian's hair. The thing that she was most self-conscious about. I had seen pictures of her at Jane's house from before the cancer. She had long, wavy blonde hair that fell below her shoulders. I knew she missed it and I knew she was insecure about her hair now. It was only just over two inches long at the moment. She was still insecure about it and I hated that it had been thrown in her face by some ignorant kid.

"Soph" she whispered, slightly louder this time. She put her hands on my cheeks turning my head to face her. It was then I realised I'd closed my eyes. "Look at me babe. It's okay. Just look at me" I took one last deep breath before opening my eyes. I looked into hers to see them glistening with her unshed tears. "It's okay" she mumbled, pecking my lips gently.

I shook my head, still not able to get any words out.

"Thank you, for defending me" she said, embracing me in a hug

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><p><strong>November 13<strong>**th**** 2007**

I was stood in the kitchen, chopping up vegetables for the seafood stir fry I was making for dinner. Katy was staying at Chesney's house again. Sian was sat at the kitchen table working on some museum plan for work. She had been drawing for ages without saying a word.

When the food was finally done, I tipped the contents of the wok into the serving bowl I had waiting on the side before turning to Sian. I noticed her glance at me before quickly returning her gaze to the sheet of paper she was working on. "Foods done" I informed her.

"Mmm, just a sec" she mumbled. I could hear her pencil scratching the paper as I dished up out food. I poured her a fresh glass of apple juice and got myself some coke.

"Ready?" I asked before turning to her once more.

"Just…a..bout" she said, continuing what she was doing. "There. Done" she said happily. She started to clear her stuff from the table when I noticed she what she had been sketching wasn't work stuff.

"What did you draw?" I asked, curiously, making my way across the kitchen towards her.

"Well, um, I finished my work stuff but I was still in the mood for drawing, so I, um, I decided to draw you" She answered a little nervously. The idea excited me.

"Can I see it?" I asked the excitement building inside me.

"Um, yeh. Be nice though, it's been a while since I had time for just sketching free-hand" she said, passing the sheet across the table to me. It was incredible. I was completely gobsmacked when I saw it. She had drawn me, stood in my kitchen, chopping vegetables. The detail she put into was amazing and she made everything look so real that it could just as easily have been a photograph as a drawing.

"So, what do you think?" she asked quietly, coming to stand by my side.

"Babe, this is one of the most incredible things I've ever seen. I can't believe you drew this just now. It's amazing! You're amazing!" I said, giving her a chaste kiss.

"Do you really like it?" she asked disbelievingly.

"I love it" I said, still staring at the drawing, awestruck.

"I love you" she said, kissing my cheek.

"I love you too" I replied, returning the gesture.

* * *

><p>We were cuddled up together on the couch, watching criminal minds, having just finished our sea food stir fry. I had a glass of pear cider in on hand with my other arm wrapped around Sian. I kissed the top of her head gently. "Have you drawn me before?" I asked, suddenly becoming curious. I hadn't been able to get the drawing out of my head.<p>

"Only a few times" she answered, sounding a little sleepy.

"Can I see them?" I asked, starting to get excited again.

"Yeh, I spose" she said, sitting up and stretching. She made her way back into the kitchen to grab her sketchbook. I placed my glass on the coffee table while I waited for her to come back. After a minute or so she had returned with her sketchbook and cuddled back into me on the couch. She opened the sketch pad on the first page, showing me a picture she had drawn of Jane watching tv. It was dated _'August 12__th__ 2007'_, two days before we met. The next drawing was dated _'August 14__th__ 2007'_ and showed an old man feeding pigeons on the train station platform. The next page was also dated _'August 14__th__ 2007' _except this one was of me, sitting on the train. "When did you draw that?" I asked, wondering how I could have missed her doing it on the train.

"I did it later that night from memory" she answered quietly.

"Did I ever tell you you're amazing?" I said smiling and planting another kiss on the top of her head.

I went through ever page of the sketch pad becoming more and more amazed with each new page. She had drawn just about everything. A little boy playing with his dog in the park. Jane and her mother embracing each other in a hug. An old man teaching his granddaughter to play chess on a park bench. Her dad and Henry with drinking pints, both wearing Man United football jerseys.

The two of us together with me kissing her cheek. The next one was dated _'October 16__th__ 2007'_ and was a sketch of the two of us dancing in my living room the night of the storm. "You're so talented Sian. I can't get over how good these are" I told her sincerely. The next one showed a pigeon picking at somebody's dropped lunch on the footpath. A group of people at the bus stop. Jane and Henry on their couch. Katy and me drinking tea in our kitchen. And then finally the last one was the one she'd drawn earlier of me in the kitchen.

She placed the sketch pad down on the table before turning to face me with an embarrassed smile on her face. "You. Are. Incredible" I said leaning in to kiss her. She kissed me back eagerly as my hands slid around her, coming to rest on her lower back. She slid her hands into my hair, leaning forward so that I fell back into the couch with her on top of me.

The kiss was becoming more heated as our tongues came into play and I let my hands wander up and down her back. She let out a small moan, encouraging me to continue so I trailed my hands down her back once more before letting my fingers slide under the hem of her t-shirt.

I started to ease the t-shirt up, with the intention of pulling it up over her head but she froze. She pulled back, fixing her top. She seemed to be stressing out. "Sian, what's wrong?" I asked become worried as she looked to be on the verge of tears.

"I…I'm sorry, I've got to go" She said, her voice cracking as she made to get up from the couch and tears began to slide down her cheeks

"Sian wait" I said, gently catching hold of her wrist " What's wrong? You're scaring me, you know you can tell me anything" I said, pulling her back down to sit on the couch. She was crying freely now. "Hey" I said bringing my thumbs up to wipe away her tears. "What is it? Have I done something wrong?" I asked, still worried and feeling sort of clueless.

"I'm….I'm sorry Soph, it's j-just….I'm not ready for this. I-I mean….I've not been with anyone since….since before" She sobbed uncontrollably. I finally understood.

"Since before the cancer?" I asked finishing her strained sentence. Tears had started to prick at the back of my eyes now too. She nodded as she continued to cry. I pulled her into a tight hug and let her cry into my shoulder.

After about fifteen minutes of rubbing her back and whispering words of comfort in her ear she finally managed to stop crying. "Sorry" she mumbled sheepishly as she pulled out of my embrace to look at me. " It's just…I'm scared. I don't want you to think I'm ugly….or…" she trailed off as she struggled to stop herself from bursting in to tears once more.

"Sian I could never ever think that of you. I'll wait as long as you need me to. I'm not going anywhere" I assured her, taking her hands in mine. "I'd happily never have sex again if it meant I got to keep you in my life" I said trying to lighten the mood a little. It worked because she let out a small giggle, although it still held the residue of tears in it.

"Really?" she asked, sounding doubtful.

"Sian you mean so much more to me than that and I can't imagine my life without you anymore. I love you" I told her sincerely.

"I love you too" she said, leaning in to place a chaste kiss on my lips.

"Shall we go to bed?" I asked quietly. She momentarily looked shocked, so I clarified by saying " to sleep. I meant to sleep, nothing else"

A smile spread across her face. "Only if you promise to hold me" she whispered.

"Always" I promised.

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><p><strong>That's that then. Once again apologies for the wait and feedback is encouraged and appreciated ;) xx<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, sorry this took so ridiculously long to update, I've been swamped! I'm up to my eyes in school work because I got wuite behind when I was off sick and I had 3 practical mock exams for art in the past 2 weeks! One of which, I might add, was a 5 HOUR exam! I've got the rest of my mocks coming up the week after next so I hope once those are over, updates will be much more frequent!**

**This one is quite long so I hope it makes up for the wait, all though I'm not very happy with it! Especially the last part :P Anywhoo, all feedback is graciously welcome and if I get enough of it, I'll have the next one posted by Sunday night ;)**

**Hope ye like...**

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><p><strong>December 21<strong>**st**** 2007**

The shrill screech of my ringtone pierced the crisp morning air, making me heart was still beating at a hundred miles an hour as I fumbled blindly around my bedside locker, searching for the offending object. Eventually, locating the thing that had so rudely interrupted my dreams, I pulled it up to my ear, answering it without checking the caller id. "Hello?" I asked, my voice still thick with sleep.

It was Friday. Friday was my favourite day of the week because I didn't have to be at work until 11a.m., Jeremy didn't work Fridays so work was a much less stressful environment and I was finished at five. Basically, Fridays were good because I got a lie in in the morning, no Jeremy and I was finished early. So I didn't like it when my Friday ritual of sleeping til ten was interrupted.

"Sophie? It's Jane" the person on the other end of the line replied. I started to wonder what she could possibly want. She never called me. I didn't even realise she had my number. "Is Sian with you?" She asked without waiting for a response from me. I turned my head to see an empty space beside me in the bed. I glanced at my watch which informed me it was only half past seven in the morning. "No…she's gone for her run" I answered, reaching across to Sian's pillow to pull the post it note she had left me from it. A smile spreading across my lips as I read it;

'_Hey babe, _

_Gone for my run!_

_Will probably be back before you wake_

_But left this just in case ;) _

_Love you, _

_Sian xxx'_

Sian had a morning ritual. She set her alarm for ten to seven, got ready and had a quick, light breakfast (usually just some fruit and a cup of tea), she got dressed after her breakfast and at twenty past seven she went for a forty minute run, then she came back, showered and was ready to leave for work by half eight. I knew all of this because she had been sleeping at mine and Tina's a lot recently and she was always up and ready before me. Naturally, I had inquired into why she got up so early. I was baffled by the thought of her having so much energy in the morning. I had never been for a morning run in my life and was pretty sure I never would. I'm not a morning person. I usually stay in bed until the last second before I need to get up.

"Good, I thought she would be. Listen, I need your help" Jane said, sounding slightly urgent. My suspicion was growing. I had thought Jane hated me ever since the smoking thing. I don't think she even believed Sian when she told her I was quitting. As far as I knew, Jane hated me. Hence my confusion at her early morning call. My suspicion was aroused by the fact she called me at a time when she knew Sian wouldn't be with me.

"What do you need help with?" I asked cautiously.

"Well, I've heard from Sian that you're a pretty good cook. Well actually, she never shuts ups about your cooking so I thought you could help me out with a little something. I planning a surprise birthday party for her next week…" Jane began explaining her suspicious call.

This was where I interrupted her. "Woah! Wait a second, she never said it was her birthday" I said, rather loudly, sitting up in the bed.

"Honestly, I'm not surprised" Jane answered "She hasn't celebrated her birthday since the year before she got sick and she never tells anybody when it is, claims she doesn't want a fuss"

"Oh" I replied, feeling slightly better about not knowing it was Sian's birthday, "So when is it and what do you need from me?" I asked, making a mental note to go shopping for a present as soon as I got a chance.

"It's the 28th of December, next Friday, and I was planning to have the surprise party at eight on the day. So I was hoping you would be able to make some of the food she's been raving about since you two got together. What do you think?" Jane asked.

"Ya, of course I will. Is there anything in particular you want me to make?" I asked, getting excited about the idea the more I thought about it.

"Well I know she loves that cornflake chicken thing, she say's it's her favourite but I'm sure you'll know what she likes." Jane answered. I was impressed, this was one of the most civil conversations we'd had since she attacked me over being a smoker. "Oh and Sophie, one more thing…" she added.

"I'll need help occupying her for the day until it's time for the party because you'll be cooking and I'll be organising everything so if you think of anything could you let me know?" she asked. I hadn't thought of that aspect of it but an answer came to my mind instantly. Katy.

"I could get Katy to keep her busy for the day" I suggested.

"Perfect! Thank you Sophie, I really appreciate it" Jane said, sounding the most genuine I heard her towards me.

"No problem" I said, a little surprised by the sincerity in her voice.

"Great. I'll talk to you sooner to the day about the arrangements. Bye" Jane finished the conversation.

"Yeh, bye" I said as I hung up the phone, tossing it back onto the bedside locker. I puffed out a breath of air, flopping back down into my pillows. My mind was already racing with ideas for what I could make Sian for her birthday. I knew there was no way in hell I would be able to get back to sleep after that.

I pulled myself out of bed, making my way to the kitchen. If I was up I figured I might as well make myself a cuppa. I was standing with my back leaning against the kitchen counter when Katy came into the kitchen, dressed for work and carrying a pile of hardback copies. "What are you doing up so early on a Friday?" she asked, setting the hardbacks down on the table and moving over to grab a cup for herself.

"Phone call woke me at half seven and I couldn't get back to sleep" I answered as the kettle clicked off. I gestured for her to sit down and started making both of our coffees.

"Everything okay?" she asked, sounding momentarily concerned.

"Ya, great actually. It was Jane" I said as I handed her one of the cups of coffee.

"Ta" she said taking it. She blew on it twice before taking a quick sip, "I thought Jane hated you?" Katy asked, confusion evident in her voice.

"So did I" I replied truthfully "but she said it's Sian's birthday next Friday and she's throwing a surprise party and wants my help. She's asked me to make all of Sian's favourite foods for the party" I informed her.

"I didn't know it was Sian's birthday!" Katy squealed, "Why didn't you tell me Soph, I'll have to get her a present!" I explained to her how I hadn't known either and told her what Jane had said about Sian not celebrating her birthday since before she'd gotten sick. She agreed to keep Sian busy for as long as possible on Friday and we started discussing gifts we could get for Sian and planning a shopping trip.

We were debating whether or not jewellery would be a good idea as a present from me when Sian walked into the flat. We quickly changed the topic to Katy's work as we heard the from door shut. She was still slightly breathless as she pulled her headphones out of her ears making her way into the kitchen. Sian looked between us with a confused expression on her face as we both greeted her. She had little beads of sweat across her forehead as she crossed the kitchen towards the sink. Even sweaty and panting she managed to look beautiful. She filled herself a glass of water and took a large swig from it before she spoke.

"Hey, what are you doing up so early on a Friday Soph?" she asked, moving from the sink to sit at the table with us. She leaned in to kiss me swiftly before settling into her seat and taking another large swig of water.

"Rosie rang my phone and then I couldn't get back to sleep" I answered, glancing at Katy, who gave me a subtle nod of approval. I didn't like lying to Sian. Even if it was for a good reason.

"Okay, Rosie being up before noon is even weirder than you being up this early" she chuckled, causing Katy to release a snort of laughter. It was true. Rosie usually slept the day away as she rarely had to be anywhere before two in the day. My sister was a glamour model and promotions girl. Which meant she spent her time scantily clad doing photo shoots during the day and going round popular clubs even more scantily clad at night.

"Yeh I know, she was on her way home from a night out, still drunk and thought it'd be a good idea to ring me" I said, feeling even more guilty. I was worrying that she would see the guilt in my face and know I was lying when Katy came to my rescue.

"Christ, you'd swear she was still a teenager" Katy said, standing up from the table, glancing quickly around the kitchen as though she was looking for something. "Have either of you seen my lesson planner by any chance? It's a dark green ring binder" she asked, as she pushed the clutter of the kitchen counter around.

"Um, I think I saw it on the window in the living room" Sian answered, also getting up from the table. I watched as she moved over to the sink to deposit her now empty glass.

"Cheers Sian, I'll see you guys later" Katy said, scooping up the pile of copies before making her way through to the living room in search of the work journal.

We both bid farewell to Katy as she rushed off for work, thankfully pulling attention away from the conversation we'd been having about my morning phone call. "I'm going to grab a shower before I'm late for work babe" Sian said, kissing my cheek as she made to leave the room.

"Ya okay, do you want anything to eat before work?" I asked, getting up and rinsing my now empty coffee cup.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked, her eyes lighting up at my suggestion.

"You go shower, I'll surprise you!" I said, flashing her a cheeky wink. She shot me a mock scowl before prancing off towards the bathroom.

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><p>I decided to make her pancakes for breakfast. As I set about making the batter I skimmed through the present ideas Katy and I had managed to come up with, trying to decide on something. I knew it was going to be a long week, trying to hide the party secret from Sian but I also knew it would be worth it in the end. I was hoping Christmas would provide enough distraction before Friday for me to avoid slipping up in front of Sian.<p>

Sian arrived back in the kitchen, dressed in her work clothes just as I was setting two plates of pancakes down on the table. She looked amazing in her work clothes. She wore a black pencil skirt and a white blouse under a black jacket. Her hair was tied back in a neat bun and her reading glasses were perched on top of her head. "Those look amazing Soph" she said, taking a seat at the table.

"You look amazing" I mumbled in reply before, coming around the table and stooping to kiss her. She reciprocated almost immediately, her hands sliding around my neck and settling in the hair at the back of my head. Eventually I pulled out of the kiss, keeping my forehead pressed against hers. "Your pancakes will go cold" I whispered, eliciting a small giggle from Sian.

"At this rate, I'll end up the size of a house with all the amazing food you keep making for me" she said turning to look at what I'd made. There was maple syrup, Nutella, lemon juice and sugar on the table along with the pancakes so that she could choose whichever topping she wanted. I knew she'd go for the Nutella but I wanted to give her options anyway.

"I might have to stop cooking for you so, can't have a fat girlfriend can I? I mean what would become of my reputation" I joked, giving her a playful shove in the arm.

"Shut up" she mumbled, shaking her head.

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><p><strong>December 24<strong>**th**** 2007 (Christmas Eve)**

My palms were sweaty and my heart was racing as we waited outside the door. I glanced nervously at Sian only to find her regarding me with an amused expression on her face. "Babe, relax. They'll love you" she said, encouragingly. It didn't really help. She leaned across and kissed my cheek. That helped a little. "Come on" she said, linking her arm through mine and opening the door. We were at Jane's house and I was meeting Sian's parents for the first time. To say I was nervous would be the understatement of the century. I was absolutely shitting it.

I knew how important Sian's relationship with her parents was to her. She had also warned me that her Dad was still coming to terms with the gay thing so if he came across a bit blunt, I shouldn't take it to heart. He was trying and that meant everything to her so I was going to be on my best behaviour for Sian's parents.

She opened the door and pulled me inside. We could hear movement and voices coming from the kitchen as we took off our jackets and hung them on the banister of the stairs. Once we'd hung up our jackets, Sian took my hand in hers once more and lead me through to the kitchen. The first thing that came into my view was Henry sitting at the table with a woman I could only assume was Sian's mother. Jane was standing at the kitchen counter on the other side of the room. "Hi Everyone, Hi mum" Sian sang, rushing across the kitchen to embrace her mother in a hug. "Happy Christmas"

"Hi Petal, same to you" Sian's mother replied, as the broke the embrace. Sian turned back to me and reached her hand towards me. I took her hand and she pulled me forward so that I was standing right beside her and her mum.

"Mum, this is my Sophie, Soph this is my mum" Sian introduced us. I could hear the eagerness in her tone and didn't want to disappoint her now, especially not after hearing her introduce me as _her_ Sophie!

"It's lovely to meet you Mrs Powers" I said as politely as I could, extending my free hand with the friendliest smile I could muster in my nervous state.

"Oh, you're so sweet, call me Janet Sophie love. And put that hand away!" She said, pulling me into a hug, not unlike the one she had given Sian only moments ago.

Once the formal introductions were over and done with we sat down at the table. Jane brought us over some drinks and the conversation began to flow quite smoothly. My nerves were calming, aided by Janet's warm reception of me and there was also the fact that Sian's hand was resting on my lap under the table, squeezing my leg reassuringly as I chatted amicably with her mother. I couldn't believe how well we were getting on. I'd never done well with the whole meeting the parents bit of any of my previous relationships. However, there was still a small nagging feeling in the back of my mind. "Where's Dad?" Sian asked as there was a lull in the conversation.

"He just popped to the shops to get some ice for the drinks" Janet answered "He should be back in a sec". She spoke to soon as a man walked into the kitchen carrying a bag of ice under his left arm.

"Starting to snow out there" he informed the room at large as he set the bag of ice down on the counter. My nerves were back in full force. I knew Sian's dad would be the biggest obstacle I would face tonight but I didn't realise I would feel this terrified when I actually saw him.

Sian gave my knee one last reassuring grip before standing up. She took my hand again. I felt slightly better with the contact. "Dad, this is my girlfriend, Sophie. Soph, this is my Dad" Sian said. I felt about an inch tall as he looked me up and down.

"N-nice to meet you Mr Powers" I said, cursing the stutter that made the sentence sound so pathetic. I didn't extend my hand this time. I just gripped Sian's hand tighter as I waited for him to react to me.

"You and all Sophie" he said, hesitantly holding out his hand. I noticed a bit of an Irish accent mixed in with his Mancunian accent. Sian had mentioned before that her Granddad was Irish but I hadn't expected her Dad to have any sort of accent. It sounded strange if I was honest. I shook his hand briefly, wary of the fact that he was still observing me.

"Happy Christmas Dad" Sian said, reaching up on her tip-toes to kiss his cheek.

"You too petal" he answered, wrapping his arms around his daughter. It didn't go unnoticed by me that both of Sian's parents had called her petal. I smiled at the thought, it was cute. They broke the embrace and he looked at me with what I can only describe as an awkward expression. He opened his mouth as though he was going to say something but seemed to change his mind and puffed out a breath of air.

"Shall we sit down?" Sian suggested, seemingly oblivious to the awkward tension between me and her Dad.

I nodded and followed her back to the table. The night seemed to progress well from there. We had a few drinks, mine non-alcoholic as I was driving home later, and the conversation seemed to flow quite well.

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><p>A short while later, I was sitting at the table chatting with Janet and Henry while Sian, Jane and Mr Powers were sorting out the nibbles Jane had prepared for the evening. "You're doing well kid" Henry whispered, causing Janet to start laughing. She was very pretty. She looked like an older combination of Sian and Jane. She dressed very classy and was a little more posh than what I was used to but she was making an effort with me and seemed to like me. I appreciated it. Sian's Dad on the other hand hadn't said much more to me since we'd been introduced.<p>

"He's right" Janet said as she managed to stop laughing "You've made a good start with Vinnie, I'm sure once he relaxes a bit he'll love you as much as I do" That genuinely made me feel better. Sian arrived at the table then, sitting beside me as she placed a plate of mini vole-au-vents and another of breaded jalapenos on the table in front of us.

"Hey" she said, kissing my cheek. Jane and Vinnie placed more plates of food down on the table before taking their seats. Everyone slipped back into conversation as we ate and drank. I was mainly talking to Sian, Henry and Janet. Later on we moved into the living room. I was sitting on the end of the couch, chatting to Henry. We were becoming good friends and Jane seemed much friendlier towards me since the phone call the other day.

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><p>Sian was chatting with Jane when Vinnie came back into the room, carrying a tray with fresh drinks for everyone. He sat in the armchair beside my end of the couch. After a couple of moments of him looking at me in an awkward silence he spoke; "So….Sophie…what is it you do" he asked.<p>

I could tell his asking was more about him making an effort for Sian than it was about him getting to know me but I appreciated it none the less. "I'm a chef, I work in a restaurant called 'The Lemongrass' in town" I answered.

"Oh I know that place, the food is very good" he replied politely. This seemed to be the ice-breaker between us and before I knew it, we'd been talking for over half an hour. I told him all about work and how I'd gotten into cooking at a young age and he told me about his grandmother teaching him to cook as a child when he used to spend his summers in Ireland. He had lived there for several of his teenage years before moving back to Manchester when he was nineteen.

After a while, when we had both relaxed around each other, Sian came over and sat down on the couch beside me. "Hey you two" she greeted cheerfully. I could tell she was getting sleepy and I guessed the wine she'd consume wasn't helping. I glanced at the clock, it was almost midnight, no wonder she was getting tired.

"Hiya Petal" Vinnie said, watching cautiously as Sian wrapped her arms around my left arm and rested her head on my shoulder. It wasn't long before Janet approached us.

"Vinnie we better get going, it's late and if I stay up much longer I'll never be able to get up tomorrow" She said, happily.

"Alright love" he said, stretching before he pulled himself up out of the arm chair. Janet said goodbye to Jane and Henry, while Vinnie went to grab his car keys from the kitchen.

"Goodbye Petal, see you tomorrow" She said, hugging Sian tightly. She turned to me when they broke their embrace. "It was lovely meeting you Sophie. I can really see what Sian sees in you" she said hugging me. "Happy Christmas girls" she said, walking with a slightly tipsy saunter towards the door.

Vinnie came back into the room to say goodbye to his children. He shook Henry's and before making his way over to us. "Goodnight Sian" he said as he hugged her.

"Night Dad" she replied, kissing his cheek again.

Then he turned to me. I was feeling slightly nervous again, despite how much we seemed to have progressed earlier on I still found him intimidating. "Goodnight Sophie" he said quietly, outstretching his hand for me to shake.

I shook it, replying "Goodnight Mr Powers".

"Call me Vinnie" he said, glancing one last time at Sian before he turned to leave.

We waited a few minutes in silence until we could hear their car pulling away outside. Once it was certain they'd left, Sian turned to me. "Soph that went so well, you were great with them Babe!" she said, wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing my cheek.

"Wow Sophie, Dad didn't even take to Henry that quickly" Jane said, clearly shocked.

"Well done kid" Henry added "he wouldn't even let me call him Vinnie til the third time I met him" he laughed.

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><p><strong>That's that then! Hope it wasn't too crap! I promise the next one will be better! xx<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone, sorry this took so long. I know I said I'd update on Sunday but I ended up having to work late and then had to study for a french test when I got home so i didn't get a chance to finish writing this update. As for why I didn't post it yesterday, I had a hot date with a Patrick Kavanagh essay that took much longer than I expected! Enough boring excuses though, I've made this one extra long as a sort of apology (I was originally going to make this into 2 parts), here's part 7!  
><strong>

**I would just like to say, I found this really sifficult as I've never written anything on this "nature" before... Hope it's okay!**

**Considering I've never done this before, I would really appreciate any comments/feedback/criticism/advice/etc! I only hope you enjoy it and that I haven't messed up to badly!**

_**Warning; Contains adult themes.**_

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><p><strong>December 28<strong>**th**** 2007**

It was Sian's birthday. I was both nervous and excited. I really wanted everything to go perfect. I had spoken to Jane after Christmas and we had laid out all the plans for today. Jane and Henry had bought everything for the party yesterday and were spending today setting up their house for the party. It worked out well for me with work because I always finish early on Fridays which meant I could make my way over to Jane's to get all the food for Sian's party ready on time. I had taken the liberty of using some of my time at work to prepare some of the food that I knew would take longer to cook.

I made my way out the back doors of the restaurants kitchen, carrying the last load of dishes that I had already prepared for the party. I was only too grateful that Jeremy wasn't in on Fridays because I knew all too well that he would have something to say about me using the kitchen for personal affairs, never mind the fact that I had borrowed several large serving dishes. Setting the last dish down as securely as possible on the passenger seat, I strapped myself into my car and stuck the keys in the ignition. I normally never drove to work because I hated traffic and just didn't think it was worth it when there was a bus that stopped just around the corner from the restaurant. As I was about to drive away, my phone rang, halting me in my tracks. Pulling it out of my pocket I saw Sian's name flashing across the screen. It was ten past five so she knew I would have just finished work.

"Hey babe" I said, answering her call.

"Hi Soph, are you out from work yet, cause I finished early today and I thought we could do something tonight?" she asked cheerfully. I'd been dreading this. I had thought myself incredibly lucky to have gotten this far without her trying to make plans for the evening. Part of me had even started to wonder if maybe she'd avoid it completely from what Jane had told me about the way Sian was about her birthday.

"I'm sorry babe, I got roped into catering for some party tonight and I won't be done 'til late" I said, trying my very best not to let my voice betray my excitement. Technically I wasn't lying; it was a sort of half-truth so I felt a little better about keeping it from her.

"Oh right" she replied quietly, I could hear the disappointment in her voice and it was killing me.

"If you're looking for something to do though, Katy said she was heading out to the Trafford centre this evening" I suggested, crossing my fingers.

"Yeh, okay, I guess I'll give her a call then" Sian returned.

We chatted idly for a few minutes about our days before I told her I had to go or I'd be late, setting up for _'this party thing I'm working tonight'_. After we'd said out goodbyes, I hung up and drove off, making my way over to Jane's.

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><p>Pulling up outside Jane and Henry's house, I gave a quick glance into the back seat to check for what felt like the hundredth time that all of the dishes were still secure. Giving a small sigh of relief when I saw that they were, I got out of the car and set about carrying them into the house.<p>

It wasn't until I'd reached the door that I realised there was a problem with me trying to do this alone. I had carried as much as I possibly could in the hope that I would have to make fewer journeys back and forth between the house and the car. However, I realised the major flaw in my plan when I reached the door and my hands were too full to open it or ring the doorbell. After a few moments panicking wondering how I could be so stupid and how I could get myself out of it I decided my best option was to use my foot. I kicked the door as carefully as it was possible to kick something, hoping that someone would hear me but also hoping that I wouldn't mark the door. I didn't need to give Jane any more reasons to dislike me. I felt we were finally coming to some sort of mutual tolerance for each other.

To my relief, Henry opened the door while I was struggling to hold onto the large serving dishes and battling with myself internally. I swear the stress and excitement I felt about this party were messing with my head! "Hey Sophie, need any help kid?" he asked, chuckling at the predicament I'd gotten myself in to.

"Please!" I gasped, fearing the serving tray on top of the pile was about to fall. He grabbed it quickly and stepped aside to let me into the house. We made our way into the kitchen where Jane had set up a table for me to lay out a small buffet. "There's a few more in the car, can you give me a hand please?" I asked as I relieved my arms of their burden.

"Yeh, sure….Erm, Sophie you do know this is only a small thing right? Just us, Katy, Vinnie, Janet and a couple of Sian's UNI mates" Henry said sceptically, taking in the amount of dishes.

"Ya, I know but I wanted to make sure I had all of Sian's favourites and it's always better to have too much food at a party than not enough" I said matter-of-factly, heading towards the door once more.

About five minutes later, we'd managed to get everything in from my car. There were five large serving trays that I had _'borrowed' _from work and several cling-filmed bowls for the food I was yet to finish making. I thought the serving trays had been a genius idea on my part because they could keep the food hot as well as hold it. I had just finished explaining this to Henry and showing him the hot water went underneath eh trays to keep the food hot when Jane burst into the kitchen. "It's nearly six o'clock!" she blurted out, stress evident in her tone.

She was a bit like a headless chicken. She was wearing a black skirt and tights but had a hoody that quite obviously belonged to Henry on over this. She was carrying a packet of blue and gold balloons and a hairbrush. It wasn't hard to see that she was getting ahead of herself and trying to get dressed and decorate for the party simultaneously. "Oh, Sophie, you're here!" she gasped, sounding relieved. She glanced around the kitchen, taking in all the metal serving trays that were lined up on her buffet table. "What's in those?" she asked, gesturing towards the table.

"Cornflake Chicken, Seafood Fettuccine, Chicken Curry, Crab Claws and Spicy beef risotto" I informed her pointing to each of the dishes in turn, "I'll make rice and chips closer to the party and I'm going to make up some salads and appetisers now" I said gesturing to the various bowls that littered her kitchen counter.

By 7p.m. I had finished making all of the appetisers and salads and the rice and chips were ready to be popped on so I rushed off to take a shower and change into my party clothes. Jane had left towels out in the bathroom for me and I had my stuff in a bag in my car. I'm pretty sure it was the fastest I had ever gotten ready in my life. I was showered, dressed and ready to go by half seven. I was wearing a simple, light blue, strapless dress that fell above my knees and black heels. I had left my hair down, falling in loose curls.

* * *

><p>I arrived back in the kitchen to see that Jane had finished decorating. There were blue and gold balloons everywhere and a blue and aquamarine banner on the wall that read <em>'Happy 24<em>_th__ Birthday Sian'_. I smiled as I saw everything was coming together. Jane had chosen the blue decorations because blue is Sian's favourite colour. Henry was pouring bags of ice into a large water bin in the corner for the drinks and Jane was leaning against the kitchen counter, looking much more relaxed than the last time I'd seen her. I figured the new calm demeanour was due to a combination of everything being sorted and the large glass of red wine in her hand.

"All sorted then?" I asked, announcing my presence.

"Ya, just about" Jane answered, nodding her head slightly. Henry chuckled as he started placing cans of beer and bottles of various different drinks into the water bin.

"I'll sort the rice and chips then, shall I?" I asked, picking up the apron I had discarded on the countered earlier on.

"Good idea, people will be arriving shortly" Jane said, watching as I set to work.

"Want a drink Sophie?" Henry asked, obviously finished with the task he had been set.

"Yeh, please" I answered, as I tended to the food I was cooking.

"Pear cider isn't it?" he asked as I heard him shuffling about in the fridge.

* * *

><p>Everyone had arrived on time. Vinnie and Janet were the first of the guests to arrive. I had been introduced to Sian's friends from UNI; Tina, Tommy, Becky, Stephen and Emily. They all seemed like nice people. Chesney had arrived not long after they did. He had met Sian a few times over at mine and Katy's flat and they got on really well so Katy had asked if she could invite him to the party. Now all we had to do was wait. Katy had just text me saying that she and Sian were on their way. We had planned that Katy would take her shopping and that Katy would be driving so that Sian wouldn't arrive back to early.<p>

"They're here!" Jane hissed, rushing back into the kitchen and turning out the lights. She grabbed my hand in the dark and pulled me to the front of the group of waiting people to stand beside her. A smile spread across my face at the gesture and excitement began to pulse through my veins as we listened to the front door opening and closing. We could hear the muffled voices of Sian and Katy, coming towards the kitchen.

"Hello?" Sian called out, obviously wondering if anybody was home, the kitchen door swung opened and I could just about hear her begin to say "I guess they must be.." before the lights flicked on and she was cut off by a loud cheer of "SURPRISE!" from the group of people clustered in the kitchen, and party poppers projected coloured streamers towards her.

Sian let out a small scream of shock, clutching her chest as she tried to take in the sight in front of her. Tears began to well in her eyes as Jane and I came towards her, both embracing her in a hug. Tears had begun to slide down her cheeks as we pulled back.

"Hey, don't cry" I whispered affectionately as I wiped the tears from her face with my fingers.

"I'm sorry…..I jus...just can't believe you did this for me" Sian cried, a humble smile, gracing her beautiful features.

"It was Jane really, all I did was cook a few bits and pieces" I said, gesturing towards her sister.

"Thank you" Sian cried, placing a tender kiss on my lips before turning to Jane and embracing her in a bear hug "both of you, this is amazing"

"Happy Birthday little sister" Jane replied, tears beginning to well in her eyes as well.

* * *

><p>The party was going brilliantly. Sian's iPod was set up in a docking station on the counter with a playlist of all her favourite songs playing underneath the chatter of the guests. People were chatting amicably and enjoying themselves and based on the compliments I was getting, they were really enjoying the food. Sian had been doing the rounds and chatting to everybody so I hadn't seen much of her since she arrived. I was talking to Tina and Henry when she made her way over to me. I was in the middle of talking to Tina when, mid-sentence, a can of pear cider was suspended in front of my face from behind. I caught hold of it and turned to see Sian standing next to me with an ecstatic expression on her face. "Hey you" I greeted her.<p>

"Hey yourself" she answered, kissing me briefly on the lips. "Thought you looked like you needed a refill"

"Yeh I did. Thanks babe" I replied as she slipped her arm around my waist.

"Happy Birthday Sian" I whispered in her ear, kissing her temple.

"Thank you" she said, taking a sip from her champagne glass. The champagne had been Jane's idea, she thought Sian had every reason to _'celebrate properly'_ and even though I couldn't bare the taste of the stuff myself, I had to agree with her. Sian deserved this and so much more. We'd been chatting with Tina and Henry for a while longer when Tina offered to get everyone a refill. "I can do that" I offered, draining the last of the can of pear cider Sian had brought me.

"You picked a good one there Sian" Tina joked, nudging Sian's arm with her elbow.

"Yeh, I really did" Sian mumbled, looking at me lovingly. She kissed me once more before I went to get us fresh drinks.

Just as I finished filling the four different drinks, Vinnie approached the counter, an unopened bottle of beer in his hand. He looked at me before turning his gaze towards the counter. "Have you seen the bottle opener?" he asked awkwardly, still not looking directly at me.

"Oh, um, yeh! Here" I said picking it up from its hiding place on the window sill and handing it to him.

"Thanks" he muttered as he used it to open the bottle in his hands. "And thank you for what you've done for Sian. She seems happy" he said quietly. I had to strain to catch every word as his voice was barely louder than a whisper. I wasn't quite sure how to respond.

"I…I'd do anything for her. She mean's everything to me" I said sincerely. He looked at me for the first time since he'd approached. He didn't say anything. He simply nodded before turning and making his way back across the room to where his wife was sitting.

* * *

><p>Sian's parents were the first to leave the party, getting a taxi home a little after midnight. I was sitting at the kitchen table, talking to Becky who appeared to have had one drink to many and was warning me of the hell she'd put me through if I ever hurt <em>"our Sian"<em>. I was in the middle of reassuring her that there was no danger of me doing so when Stephen and Tommy sat down beside us. "Lay off Becks, this one's alright" Tommy slurred. I had been talking to him earlier when he was rather more sober. Sian's friends began to babble drunkenly to each other and me occasionally and I was all too happy to sit back and let them. I'd been sitting with them for quite a while when I felt a familiar pair of arms snake their way around my shoulders from behind.

"Hey birthday girl" I said, turning my head to look up at her. She looked happy which in turn made me happy.

"I love you" she mumbled, placing a chaste kiss on my lips.

"What was that for?" I asked, smiling up at her. Keeping her arms hung loosely around my neck, she slid her way around the chair to sit on my lap.

"Just the effort you put in" she answered, kissing me again.

"I told you the party was Jane's idea, I just did a bit of cooking" I replied. Her left hand moved to cup my cheek and I couldn't help but lean into her touch.

She shook her head with a slight smirk playing across her lips. "I meant with everything, not just tonight. You're amazing Sophie Webster" she said, resting her forehead against mine.

Sian and I were the last ones standing at the end of the night. It was a little after two in the morning. Tina, Tommy, Emily and Stephen had gotten taxis home not too long ago. Becky was staying at Jane's for the night and although she was supposed to be sleeping in the spare bedroom upstairs, she had passed out on the couch in the living room. Jane and Henry had retired to bed after seeing the last of their guests to the door and locking up once they'd left.

"Dance with me?" Sian asked, pulling me to my feet as Ryan Adam's cover of _'Wonderwall' _began to play softly from the iPod dock on the counter. Sian wrapped her arms delicately around my neck and I wrapped mine around her waist. Holding each other close, we began to sway slowly to the music.

I'd known her for over four months now and she still had the unrivalled ability to make me nervous from just being around her. She made butterflies swirl around in my stomach. She also still intrigued me as much as she had that day on the train, if not more. With our bodies pressed together as we swayed in time to the music, I was sure she would be able to feel my heart beat against her chest.

"You ready for your present?" I asked, smiling as I saw a childish glee light up her eyes.

"You didn't need to get me anything" she said, failing miserably at trying to hide the excitement in her voice.

"Wait here" I said, pecking her lips quickly before breaking our embrace to make my way across the kitchen. I grabbed my handbag from the back of the chair it had been hanging on and pulled out the small gift, wrapped in turquoise paper with silver stars on it. I crossed the kitchen and handed it to her, watching carefully to gauge her reaction. She gave me a small smile before tearing the paper away, revealing the dark blue, velvet jewellery box.

"Soph" she mumbled, biting her lip as she looked up at me. I was starting to feel quite nervous, beginning to doubt my present idea. I really hoped she would like it.

She carefully prised the box open, gasping audibly as her eyes fell on the silver charm bracelet I had bought her. There were two charms on it. A small heart and a little silver train. She looked up at me once more. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears. "It's beautiful Sophie, thank you" she whispered, leaning in to kiss me tenderly. "I love it" she said, lifting it from the box. She let out a small giggle as her fingers brushed across the little silver train.

"I got that one because it's our first memory together….meeting on the train" I explained.

"I know. I love you" she replied, kissing me again. "Help me put it on?" she asked. I took the bracelet from her hands and opened the clasp. I gently laid it across her wrist and she turned her arm up for me to close it once more.

"There" I said kissing her hand.

"Cheesy" she laughed.

* * *

><p>She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me in for a kiss. I soon felt her tongue pushing against the parting of my lips, I didn't resist, granting it access almost immediately. The kiss was growing more passionate as I rested my hands on the small of her back, caressing the skin that was exposed between her top and jeans. Her hands slid up into my hair, getting tangled in the brown locks at the back of my head.<p>

Sian pulled back slightly and looked deep into my eyes. I smiled, pecking her lips. My heart was racing. That was one of the best kisses of my life. "I love you Sophie" she mumbled before leaving a trail of kisses along my jawline, making her way down to my neck.

"I love you too" I whispered, not trusting my voice while she was paying my neck such attention. I wrapped my arms tighter around her, trying to increase the contact between us. My breaths were coming short and fast as her lips worked their way back up to my mouth. Our lips crashed together impatiently and she began walking me backwards towards the kitchen door. Our lips never parting as she pinned me up against the kitchen door. I didn't know how long we'd been against the door for but I could feel the heat growing from deep inside me, spreading quickly around my entire body. I never wanted to let her go.

Sian broke the kiss first. Without a word, she removed her hands from their positions at the back of my head and trailed them down my shoulders and along my arms until our palms came together. She took my hand in hers and led me out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her bedroom.

* * *

><p>Both my mind and heart were racing. I never felt so simultaneously scared and excited. We had kissed that passionately before, hands had timidly wandered over each other's bodies, but something was different about this time.<p>

Sian sat down on the end of the bed. My mouth suddenly went dry as she gazed deep into my eyes. I released a shaky breath I hadn't even realised I'd been holding. "Come here" she whispered, pulling me down onto the bed with her, reattaching her lips to mine. The passion from downstairs returned but we were less frantic and hurried this time. I moved my lips across her jaw, making my way down her neck nibbling, kissing and sucking at each new piece of skin I came across. Her breathing was racing, just like mine and I heard a sharp intake of breath from her as I sucked on her pulse point.

"Soph" she panted breathlessly. I pulled back from her neck to look into her eyes. Her hands came up to cup my face lovingly.

"You okay?" I asked, concerned I may have pushed her too far this time. Sian was usually the one to stop things from going too far and I respected her. I meant what I had said when I told her I'd wait as long as she needed me to.

She nodded in response to my question. She lifted herself off the bed slightly, to bring our lips together, slowly. The tension was building steadily as we continued to kiss each other heatedly.

I eventually made my way back down to Sian's neck to lavish her with attention once more. Her hands had made their way back into my hair. "Make love to me Sophie" she whispered huskily into my ear.

I sat back quickly, looking down at her. She had the trace of a smile on her lips, her hair was tousled and her chest was rising and falling rapidly. "Are you sure?" I asked cautiously.

She nodded, biting her bottom lip nervously. "I'm ready" she stately simply. I crashed my lips against hers, my tongue sliding effortlessly into her mouth to meet her own. There was no battle for dominance, our tongues simply moved together in harmony.

Her hands made their way around to my back and began to pull timidly at the zipper of my dress. I shivered involuntarily as I felt the zip glide down my back, coming to a rest just above my bum. I sat up briefly to pull the dress over my head, tossing it behind me. Once I heard the soft slump of the material landing on the carpet I lowered myself once more, kissing from Sian's jaw to just below her ear. "I love you" I whispered in her ear.

"You're so beautiful Soph" she murmured as I let my hands wander down her body, feeling the muscles of her stomach tense as my hands slid over them. My hands slipped under her top as I returned my attention to her neck.

I pulled back to look at her as my hands took hold of the hem of her top. "You sure about this?" I asked, wanting to make absolutely sure she was ready for this and wouldn't regret it.

"Yeh…I love you Sophie" she whispered breathlessly. I carefully slid the top up her torso and she lifted herself up from the bed slightly so I could pull it over her head. I tossed it in the same generally direction as my dress had gone before it. I looked into her eyes carefully before looking anywhere else; once again wanting to make absolutely sure she was really okay with this. She smiled at me nervously before I let my eyes wander down, taking her in. There was a round scar on the right side of her chest. I traced my fingers delicately over it, glancing back to her for approval.

"It's from the chemo port….when I was sick" she said self-consciously, moving her arms to cover herself. I placed my hands on her upper arms, to still them before she could cover herself completely.

"You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen Sian. Don't ever doubt that, you are amazing" I told her genuinely. I brought my lips to her skin, placing tender kisses around the scar before finally placing one last kiss on it.

She reached behind my back and after a few nervous fumbles managed to unhook my bra. She pulled the straps down my arms and tossed in to the floor, attaching her lips to my collar bone before making her way torturously slowly down to my breasts. I couldn't help the whimper that escaped me as her lips came into contact with my nipple for the first time, one of her hands massaging my other breast as she rolled us over so that I was on my back. I could feel heat pooling between my legs as she straddled me. She sat up momentarily to remove her own bra, flinging it in the same direction that mine had gone only moments beforehand.

I was in awe of the sight in front of me. She was truly beautiful. I couldn't resist it as I sat up, crashing my lips against hers once again, both of us moaning softly as our breasts came together. I flipped out positions once more so Sian was lying down. One hand started to massage her perfect breast and I could feel her nipple harden under my touch as my other hand traced down her toned stomach, coming to a stop at the button of her jeans.

It wasn't long before Sian's jeans had joined the pile of clothes that was now scattered around her bedroom floor and we had relieved each other of our knickers. I brought my lips to Sian's, kissing her hungrily, resting one of my thighs between her legs. Her hips started to grind against my thigh as our hands continued to explore each other's bodies. This was probably the most incredible moment of my life.

I kissed down her neck once more, sucking on a sensitive spot as my hand slowly made its way between her legs. "I love you" I murmured breathlessly before I entered her for the first time. I slowly slid one finger into her. It was the most incredible feeling in the world. I started up a slow rhythm, pumping in and out of her.

"Soph" she moaned, letting me know I was doing something right. My thumb grazed her sensitive bundle of nerves causing her to buck her hips into my touch. I was getting turned on by the mere sight of her underneath me.

"Wait….Soph" she gasped. I still my hand movements, worried I'd hurt her.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned.

"Yeh, but…..can we do this together?" she asked breathlessly.

I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face as I nodded in response. Her hand slid down my side, caressing my hip before slipping between my legs. "Jesus" I gasped in pleasure as her hand finally reached its destination. A moan escaped my lips as I felt her start to move inside me.

The next few minutes were filled with breathless kisses and moans of pleasure until I felt her muscles tightening around my fingers. I knew she was close and wasn't far from tipping over the edge myself. My thumb massaged her sensitive nub before she let out a final moan of pleasure, throwing her head back as I felt her muscles contract around my fingers. The sight was amazing and beautiful. I followed her almost immediately, being sent into pure ecstasy, crying out her name in pleasure.

When we had both come down from out incredible highs, I removed my fingers from her and shuffled up the bed. She still hadn't opened her eyes. I pulled the duvet up around us before wrapping my arms around her waist. "I love you" I whispered, placing a chaste kiss on her lips.

"I love you too" she answered, her eyes flickering open slowly.

* * *

><p><strong>That's that I guess! I hope it wasn't too awful, I really don't think I've done this justice! I wanted to keep it seeming genuine while maintaining the vulnerabilty...<strong>

**All feedback is greatly appreciated, let me know what ye think!xx**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you so much for the positive reviews and the story/author alerts and favourites :) It really does mean everything to me :) **

**I spent a good half hour writing chapter 8 in a refill pad during after school study on friday (yeh, I know, I'm gonna do so well in school this year! Naughty naughty!) but when I went to get the refill pad from my bag today I realised I'd left it in my locker! This really got on my nerves cause I'm dead sure what I wrote in study was better than what I've got here :P**

**I'm sorry to say I won't be able to update again this week as I've got mock exams all week so I'll be busy studying but I've got mid term the week after so I'll probably get a few chapters posted then if the interest is still there :)**

**Here's chapter 8;**

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><p><strong>December 29<strong>**th**** 2007**

I inhaled deeply, my eyes not yet open, stretching as I woke. I sighed contently as the memories of the night before came flooding back. _Beautiful. My beautiful Sian_. I rolled over onto my side, with the intention of wrapping my arm around her and slipping back into the peaceful sleep I'd been enjoying. My eyes snapped open when my hand landed on the cold blankets of the bed. She was gone. I sat bolt upright, believing my worst nightmare had come true. She regretted last night. I was starting to panic, wondering what I'd done wrong when a voice spoke, making me freeze mid-panic.

"Sophie? Are you okay?" Sian asked. She was sitting on the window seat, wearing a blue hoody that I recognised as one of mine that I thought I'd lost weeks ago. She had her favourite red and blue, chequered blanket wrapped around her legs and was sipping a cup of tea.

"Yeh, fine…. what're you doing?" I asked, trying to pretend I hadn't just been panicking, thinking she'd done a runner. She stood up, letting the blanket around her legs fall onto the cushions of the window seat.

"I was really hungry when I woke up so I went to get myself some breakfast. You looked too peaceful to wake so I decided to let you sleep. You're very pretty when you're asleep" she said, picking up a plate of toast from her desk.

"You were watching me sleep?" I asked as she crossed the room and came to sit on the bed next to me. "Creep" I teased as she kissed my cheek.

"Shut up, I'm allowed 'cause I'm your girlfriend. It's not creepy when you're in love" she countered, sticking her tongue out at me.

"Good morning gorgeous" I said, placing a slow tender kiss on her lips.

"Good morning" she answered as she broke the kiss, keeping our foreheads pressed together. "D'you want some toast?" she asked, holding up the small plate she had brought over from the desk.

"Please" I answered, taking a slice from the plate. My stomach growled as the smell of the toast met my nostrils. I hadn't realised how hungry I was before this. Sian let out a small giggle upon hearing it.

I took a large bite out of the toast. Unfortunately, I hadn't anticipated quite how dry my mouth was and started to choke when I couldn't swallow it properly.

"Here babe, drink this" Sian said, thrusting her cup towards me. I gulped the liquid into my mouth, letting out a sigh of relief when the toast went down. Once I had recovered I scrunched up my face in distaste.

"Ugh, no sugar" I grumbled, causing Sian to burst out laughing.

"You're such a goof Soph" She laughed, "you nearly choke and all you're worried about is that there's no sugar in the tea"

"Yeh, well" I said, shrugging nonchalantly. She laughed again, before leaning in and pressing a kiss to the tip of my nose. "You okay today?" I asked. The question was simple but loaded with meaning and I was nervous about the answer.

She nodded, an amazing smile spreading across her lips. "Never better" she mumbled "Last night was perfect Sophie" I felt happiness swell in my chest at her words. It was a better answer than the best case scenario I'd imagined in my head.

* * *

><p><strong>December 31<strong>**st ****2007 (New Year's Eve)**

I heard a soft knock on my bedroom door. "Not now Katy" I called. "Sian will be here any minute and I'm running late". I was sitting on the floor in front of the full-length mirror in my bedroom, styling my hair into loose curls with my hair straightener. I was wearing a black and white gladiator dress, finishing off the look with a white-gold belt and white-gold gladiator sandals. I wasn't great in heels and if I was going to have to dance I knew they'd be a bad idea.

Sian had decided she wanted to go out dancing for New Years and her friend Becky had managed to get us some free tickets to a party at the club she worked for. I wasn't really one for dancing. In fact I was a terrible dancer but Sian loved dancing and was really excited about the night out.

I heard the bedroom door open and was surprised when the voice that spoke wasn't Katy. "Hi Soph" Sian greeted, closing the door behind her.

"Hey" I replied, turning to face her from my position on the floor. She was wearing a maroon coloured, half-sleeve, bodycon dress. It was short enough to be incredibly hot but not short enough to be slutty. She looked incredible. The combination of the short dress and the killer black heels she was wearing showed off how great her legs were her short hair was waxed in a sexy, edgy style. "You look beautiful babe" I complimented her as she crossed the room towards me.

"Thanks Soph, you too" she answered, as I stood up to kiss her hello. She sat on my bed and I couldn't help but notice once more how sexy her legs looked in those shoes. I must have been staring because she cleared her throat and asked with a playful tone, "You alright Sophie?"

"Wha….yeh, I…Ow, shit!" I yelped, hearing the thud of my straightener as it hit the ground. I had forgotten I was holding while I'd been perving on Sian and accidentally moved my last two fingers onto the hot ceramic of the straightener.

"Oh my god, Soph are you okay?" Sian asked, jumping up from her position on the bed and rushing to me. She took my hand in hers briefly and looked it over before dragging me out of my room by the wrist. She took me into the bathroom next door and turned on the cold tap in the bathroom sink.

"Sian this isn't necessary. It wasn't even that bad" I told her but she shook her head defiantly and shushed me before she shoved my hand under the cold water anyway. Admittedly, my fingers did feel much better whilst under the cold water. After a couple of minutes, she turned the tap back off and wrapped the towel around my hand, drying it gently. Once it was dry, she replaced the towel on the rack and brought my hand to her lips, placing a kiss on each of my fingers in turn.

"There. All better" she mumbled, giving me a timid smile. I leaned in and kissed her lips tenderly.

"Thanks" I said quietly "Maybe I should burn myself more often, if you're going to take such good care of me" I joked.

"Shut up you goof" she said, shoving me playfully with a smirk fixed on her face.

"Sophie!" Katy called down the hall "Chesney's here, are you two ready to go yet?"

* * *

><p>We had a few pre-drinks before heading out and arrived at the club around ten o' clock. Becky came to the door to meet us. She was the bar manager of the club so she wouldn't really be able to join in the celebrations with us. She got us a free round of drinks once we got inside and stayed chatting with us for a few minutes before she had to get back to work. She whispered something in Sian's ear before making her way across the club to get back behind the bar.<p>

I flashed Sian an inquisitive look, once Becky walked away. "She just said she'll come hang out with us on her break" Sian told me. We found a table on the balcony in the club. It was fairly packed by half ten. I had just got a fresh round of drinks and was standing at the balcony railing with Sian, looking down at the crowd on the dance floor.

"Come dance with me" Sian whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. I necked the last of my drink before giving her a nod, making her giggle. She took my hand and led me through the crowds, down the stairs towards the dance floor.

I had told her that I wasn't much of a dancer but Sian had insisted it didn't matter and promised that we'd keep it simple. Things were going well on the dance floor. I wasn't making a complete and utter fool out of myself at least. Sian was a much better dancer than me so she was the one moving the most. I kept it simple. My hands rested loosely on her hips as they swung in time to the music. She truly was incredible.

We'd been dancing for nearly half an hour. Katy and Chesney had joined us not long after the first song we danced to had finished. We were both fairly tipsy and having a brilliant night. "I need to go to the bathroom, do you want me to get you another drink on the way back" I asked, shouting over the music.

"You sure you don't want me to come with you?" she asked, continuing to dance up against me.

"Yeh, I won't be long. Promise" I said, kissing her cheek. I gestured to Katy, asking her if either of them wanted a drink, receiving two sets of thumbs up in return.

* * *

><p>I was making my way back towards the dance floor with a tray, carrying a drink and a shot for each of us. As I approached the dance floor I caught sight of Sian. She was dancing with her eyes closed, just letting herself get lost in the music. A smile spread across my face as I watched her dance and I placed the drinks tray down on one of the counters that ran around the edges of the dance floor. I was about to go over to her to give her, Chesney and Katy their drinks when I noticed some guy I didn't know was dancing with them. Katy and Chesney started snogging the faces off each other and then this guy decided it was okay to put his hands on Sian's hips as she danced. Something snapped inside me and I felt jealousy and anger bubble up from deep inside me when Sian didn't shove him away. Before I knew what I was doing, I had marched across the dance floor towards them. I was so angry. I felt I could burst into tears at any moment. "Oi" I shouted, tapping the guy on the shoulder. He turned to look at me, taking his hands off Sian to do so. She looked around, to see where he had gone. Why was she doing this, it didn't make sense to me. If she was with me, why was she dancing flirtily with some random lad in a club?<p>

I didn't say another word. I drew my arm back quickly, balling my hand into a fist and brought it forward again, punching him in the face with enough force to make him stagger backwards.

"What the fuck?" he yelped, clutching his face in shock and what I hoped was pain. My hand certainly hurt enough from it.

"Sophie! What the hell are you doing?" Sian shouted as I clutched my knuckles in my other hand.

"Your drinks are over there" I said coldly, pointing towards the counter. I may have been a bit drunk but I knew what I had seen. She wasn't even trying to justify herself. She was getting pissed at me.

I turned on my heels and marched back across the dance floor, making a beeline for the clubs exit. I could hear Sian calling after me but I didn't turn around. I was still overwhelmingly jealous and hurt.

* * *

><p>The air outside was cold and made me feel sick. It made me realise I had drank quite alot more than I thought. I noticed a small group of people to the side of the doors smoking and made my way over to them. I hadn't smoked since I'd told Sian I was quitting but right now I didn't care. I was stressed and I needed one. "Sorry, any chance I could bum a cigarette off one of you?" I asked as I reached the group.<p>

"Yeh, sure" one of the girls closest to me answered, passing me a box of Marlboro lights and a lighter. I pulled one from the box and lit it before returning them both to her.

"Cheers" I muttered, walking further down the footpath. Once I felt I was far enough away, I slumped against the wall to enjoy the cigarette. I could still hear the music blaring through the open doors of the club. I was nearly finished the cigarette when Sian found me.

"Sophie!" she shouted angrily as she approached me. "What the hell was that?" she demanded, gesturing towards the front door.

"Could ask you the same question" I retorted bitterly.

Confusion mingled with the anger in her facial expression. "What are you talking about?" She asked, taking a few steps towards me so that she was standing directly in front of me. "And since when are you smoking again?"

"That? That Sian was about you grinding up against some random bloke in a club when you're supposed to be with me" I said, my voice rising as I finished the sentence. I flicked the fag butt into one of the plant pots that sat against the wall outside the building.

Her face softened and the confusion and anger in her expression were replaced with understanding and sadness. "Soph" she whispered, her hands cupping my face gently. I closed my eyes and turned my face away from her.

"Don't" I whispered. Her hands remained firmly in place against my skin.

"Look at me Sophie" she said quietly. I opened my eyes, looking deep into hers. "That '_random bloke'_ is a friend from college. His name's Lucas and" she began explaining.

"That doesn't give him the right to go grinding up against my girlfriend" I interjected, anger starting to build once more inside me.

"If you'll listen to me Soph, he wasn't _'grinding up against me'_, we were dancing and he put his hands on my hips. There was nothing else to it. I'm with you; do you really think I would do that to you? I love you and I..." she continued. I couldn't stay mad at her, no matter how much I wanted to.

"Yeh well I still don't appreciate it when guys put their hands on you. I don't want them getting any ideas, I mean he obviously fancies you as more than a mate if he puts his hands on you like that when you dance together" I interrupted her. I knew I was starting to ramble and I knew I wasn't going to stop anytime soon unless I got some serious answers from Sian.

"Sophie, he doesn't fancy me at all. I'm sure his boyfriend could tell you the same!" she stated, raising her eyebrows at me. I felt really stupid after that.

"Oh" I mumbled, my cheeks rapidly filling with colour. "I'm sorry, I just…" I began, my gaze diverting to the ground awkwardly. I could still clearly hear the music from the club. We were the only ones left outside, making it seem a little louder than before.

"You just misread the situation" Sian said kindly, "Listen Soph; you are the one that I love, no one else, not ever. Okay? You better believe me" she said, ducking her head to catch my eyes. I couldn't help the small smile that crept onto my face as one of her thumbs gently stroked my cheek.

The music from the club had stopped all of a sudden. I could hear the countdown beginning;

'_10…9…8…'_

"I love you too" I mumbled sheepishly, bringing my gaze up from the ground to meet hers.

'_7…6…5…'_

"You really can be such a goof sometimes" she giggled, her hands slipping from my face to wrap around my neck. I brought mine up to rest on her hips.

'_4…3…'_

We smiled at each other tenderly, our foreheads pressed together. She tilted her head slightly to the right, bringing her lips closer to mine. She stopped just before she reached me. I could almost feel her lips against mine even though they hadn't made contact with mine yet.

'_2…1…HAPPY NEW YEAR'_ bellowed from inside the club as Sian kissed me passionately. After a few minutes we broke apart breathlessly, keeping our foreheads together once again.

"Happy New Year Soph" she whispered, pecking my lips lightly.

"Happy New Year" I answered, still breathless from the intensity of our kiss. It was definitely going on my list of favourites.

"Lets get out of here" Sian suggested, a playful giggle slipping from her lips as she took my hand and pulled me towards the taxi rank. It was one of the best New Years of my life.

"Should I not go apologise to your friend?" I asked, knowing full well I should, despite not wanting to.

"It can wait. Right now I just want to get you home so I can have you all to myself" Sian answered, flashing me a cheeky grin and a wink as we reached the taxi rank.

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><p><strong>Couldn't resist slipping the 'you better believe me' line into it! It's such and iconic Siophie moment!<strong>

**As always, all and any feedback is gratefully accepted :) xx**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, mock exams over and done with! Not quite sure how it went overall but we'll see! The englsih teacher had a flick through my paper and reckons I've done well but we'll have to wait for the results to get back from the correction company to know for sure :P**

**I meant to have this posted yesterday but due to some unforseeable circumstances following my exam celebrations, involving claustrophobic panic attacks and alot of bruises, I didn't get around to it. This chaper is mainly filler so that's another thing I have to apologise for :P But I'm going to visit some friends in Athlone tomorrow night and won't have time to do another tomorrow so i'm hoping to have the next chapter posted by thursday night (I make no promises though :P)**

**I would once again like to say thank you for the amazing response this story is recieving! It's truly incredible and makes me enjoy writing all the more :) I think time will be moving more quickly from now on but if anybosy has any suggestions for moments/occasions they would like to see happening in this feel free to let me know :)**

**Regarding a review I got from Ujin, I make no promises as I'm not used to writing them sorts of scenes but I'll see what I can do in future chapters :)**

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><p><strong>February 11<strong>**th**** 2008**

I was awake. My eyes were still closed. My head was throbbing. I could only vaguely remember the previous night. It was a Monday morning and for some reason I had decided that going out clubbing last night would be a good idea. I now regretted my own stupidity as I lay in bed, afraid to open my eyes, fearing the harsh light of day that I knew would scorch my retinas as soon as I did.

Sian had the day off work today, so last night I decided, after a few cans on the couch, that it would therefore be a brilliant idea for us to go clubbing. I wanted to dance. I said I wouldn't drink much and we'd come home early. Now all I could remember was dancing with Sian, taking several shots of tequila and more dancing with Sian. I couldn't remember getting home.

The sound of the door opening made me open my eyes. I immediately regretted doing so, snapping them shut again, groaning in pain and lifting my arms to press my hands against my eyelids. I really could be stupid sometimes. I was meant to be in work at nine this morning. I had no idea what time it was now but I did know there was no way in hell I'd be fit for work any time soon.

I felt the mattress sink beside me as someone sat on the bed. "Soph….Sophie are you awake?" Sian asked quietly.

"Unfortunately" I grumbled as my stomach turned threateningly. I could smell something that wasn't helping the nausea that had just decided to stir in my stomach.

"Aww" Sian cooed, kissing my lips through the gap in my hands that were still pressed against my face, "Open your eyes babe" she whispered.

"No chance" I whispered uncomfortably, wishing I could go back to sleep. "What time is it?"

"Eight" she answered, trying to gently prise my hands away from my face. I groaned pathetically again. "Soph, open your eyes, I've brought you something to help with the hangover" she said encouragingly. Funnily enough, I didn't feel very encouraged!

"Nnoooo" I continued to grumble, attempting to turn towards the wall so I could go back to sleep. Sian held on to my arms, preventing me from rolling onto my side.

"Come on, you've got work soon" Sian reasoned "Open your eyes and eat the breakfast I've brought you"

"I can't face work, I feel rotten" I whined "And I don't think I'm really up to breakfast, sorry".

"Right, that's it" Sian stated determinedly. I heard her put something down on the bedside locker and before I knew it, she'd yanked my arms away from my face and pulled me up into a sitting position. "Now, you're going to eat the breakfast I've made you and then shower and get ready for work. You know Jeremy's getting pissed with the amount of days you've been taking off recently" she reasoned with me. She was right. I'd been finding excuses to take time off work as often as I could. Basically any time Sian had the day off work, I'd tell Jeremy I couldn't make it in and spend the day with her. The only problem with this was Sian was still at the bottom of the food chain in her field of work. She was still doing the grunt work, meaning they didn't need her in the office all day, every day and she could take a lot of it home with her.

"Sometimes I hate you" I mumbled, rubbing my forehead as she leaned across the bed to grab what she'd left on the bedside locker.

"No you don't" she replied, laughing at how pathetic I was being "You're such a big kid sometimes, Soph, here" she said handing me a cup of tea.

"Thanks" I said, taking the cup from her. I brought it to my lips and took a long sip of the liquid. It was perfect. She had just the right amount of sugar, it was strong and she had let it cool because she knows I don't like my tea hot in the morning. It was perfectly warm. "I love you" I mumbled, already feeling slightly better once I'd brought the cup to rest on my lap.

"I thought so" she giggled. "Now, eat this and then take these" she said pulling a tray across the top of the duvet and sitting it between us. My face fell as the try came into sight.

"Is that an oven pizza?" I asked in pure disbelief.

"Yeh, trust me Soph. Sometimes, fancy, homemade food doesn't cut it. Sometimes you just need rubbish. In the case of a hangover, an oven pizza is just rubbish enough to make you feel better. It's my perfect hangover cure; tea, pizza and paracetemol" Sian insisted.

I cautiously picked up one of the slices from the tray and brought it to my eye level to observe it sceptically. I suddenly realised what the smell that had inspired my nausea was coming from. "I dunno Sian, my stomach feels dodge enough without this" I mumbled pathetically.

"Trust me Soph" She pressed.

"Here goes then" I said, taking a small bite out of the pizza slice in my hand. I didn't puke so that was a start. After three slices I was actually starting to feel better. "How did you figure this out?" I asked her after I swallowed the pain killers with the last of the tea.

"College" she answered, shrugging nonchalantly.

I glanced up at her to see a content smile resting on her lips. Then I noticed that she was dressed. "Have you been for your run already?" I asked incredulously.

"Um, yeh, why?" she asked as though it was nothing.

"What? But….how?" I asked. I couldn't believe this. My girlfriend was some sort of hangover resistant super hero!

"Well, for starters, I didn't drink nearly as much as you last night babe" She answered, laughing. "You and Katy did a load of tequila shots last night"

"So did you!" I argued.

"Actually, I only did one. We stayed til closing and I got us a taxi and put both you and Katy to bed" Sian explained.

"Sorry babe, how bad were we?" I asked, scared of the answer I was going to receive.

"Not bad, but you did insist on giving the taxi driver a detailed account of how much you loved me and how you hoped he would find happiness with someone like you have with me" Sian said, no longer able to control the laughter that she had been holding back.

I sank back onto my pillows, groaning again. "No you don't Soph! I won't be held responsible for Jeremy flipping out and firing you for never coming in to work. Get your arse out of bed and into that shower" Sian said as sternly as she possibly could but I could see it in her eyes that she was struggling to hold back a fit of giggles as she was speaking.

"Only if you come with me" I replied, a playful smirk creeping its way across my face.

"Not today Ms. Webster, we don't have time. It's already twenty past eight" Sian argued.

"Fine" I moaned, dragging myself out of the bed with great effort. "But you have to promise we'll share a shower tomorrow morning" I added as I reached the bedroom door.

"Deal" she giggled as I opened the door and made my way down the hall to the bathroom.

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><p>I was showered and ready to go at twenty to nine which I considered an impressive achievement considering normally when I'm hungover a shower can take anywhere between forty minutes and an hour.<p>

"I'll walk you to work babe" Sian said as I entered the kitchen.

"Yeh, thanks. Is Katy still in bed?" I asked, not seeing any dishes to indicate my best friend had surfaced for breakfast yet.

"She doesn't have class til eleven today because one of the year groups she teaches are on some trip or something" Sian answered.

"Lucky bugger" I muttered under my breath as Sian handed me my coat.

"Come on grumpy, it won't be that bad" Sian encouraged, opening the front door as I pulled the coat on. "And don't forget you said you'd pick up some sweets and stuff on the way home from work" she added a childish grin gracing her beautiful features.

"What for?" I asked, trying to remember why I would say something like that.

"For the new series of skins that's starting tonight, obviously" she answered, sticking her tongue out at me, before skipping out the front door of the flat.

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><p><strong>March 21<strong>**st**** 2008**

Katy and Chesney were at some wedding for one of Chesney's cousins so Sian and I had the flat to ourselves. We decided to have a cosy night. I was making her dinner and we were going to watch a few dvds.

I was keeping the dinner fairly simple. Sian had mentioned earlier that she had a craving for a burger so I decided on some homemade beef burgers with mozzarella cheese in the centre and for veg I was baking sweet potatoes, bell peppers and potato slices in sweet chili sauce.

I was in the kitchen, chopping up peppers and Sian had disappeared into the bathroom a few minutes ago. I was rushing to get through the veg as quickly as possible so I could get them out of the way and leave them to bake in the oven.

A shrill screech pierced the air. I felt like my heart had just rocketed into my throat as I jumped in fright. The sudden scare had made me jump so badly that I had sliced open my index finger with knife I was using. "Shit" I muttered when I noticed the blood droplets sprinkled over the peppers. I didn't have time to worry too much about it though. I hadn't forgotten the sound of Sian screaming. I grabbed the tea towel from the counter and sprinted from the kitchen, down the hall to the bathroom.

"Sian? What's wrong? What happened?" I gasped as I burst through the bathroom door.

"Sophie" she squealed, throwing her arms around my neck. I now realised that she hadn't been screaming in terror. It was a happy scream. She was behaving like a child who had just received the best Christmas present ever.

"Sian what's going on?" I asked, still completely clueless as to why she'd just almost frightened the life out of me.

I could see the excitement burning in her eyes when she pulled back from the embrace. "Do you notice anything?" she asked. I could tell she was bursting to just blurt whatever it was out.

"Um, I…eh..." I started to mumble, my eyes scanning up and down her body. She looked the same to me as she had five minutes ago.

"I have enough hair for a ponytail!" she squealed ecstatically, turning on the spot to show me. Sure enough, her hair was tied back into a small ponytail at the base of her skull. A grin spread across my face as well.

"Babe, that's fantastic" I said, pulling her back into another hug. She wrapped her arms around my neck once more and leaned in to kiss me hungrily. She started to walk backwards, taking me with her, never breaking the kiss.

I slid my tongue across her bottom lip, begging for entrance that was eagerly granted as her back came into contact with the basin of the sink.

I had forgotten all about the cut on my finger. Sian used the sink to lift herself up and wrap her legs around my waist. I dropped the tea towel that was still clutched against my bleeding index finger so that I could hold her up properly.

Sian must've noticed the tea towel dropping from my hand because she glanced down as it hit the floor. "What was…..is that blood?" she gasped, dropping to the floor once more.

"It's nothing" I mumbled, attempting to kiss her again but I was too late. She gently grabbed my hand in hers and brought it up towards her so she could examine it properly.

"Sophie this is not nothing. How did you do this? it looks really deep" Sian murmured as she continued to examine the cut.

I didn't think it was that bad but she brought my hand under the tap to rinse some of the blood away. "Agh!" I hissed as the cold water stung the wound. It filled with blood once more almost immediately after Sian took it out from under the tap.

"It's really deep babe and it's still bleeding, maybe we should bring you to get it looked at" Sian suggested.

"Sian, it'll be fine, it's just a little cut. No need to panic" I assured her as she stooped to pick up the tea towel from the floor.

"I think this would beg to differ, don't you?" she said sarcastically as she showed me the large red stains in the fabric. "Come on Soph, I'm taking you to the ER"

"Don't you think that's a bit much though?" I started to argue.

"No Soph, I think it needs stitches and you're better safe than sorry" she said with a finality in her tone that made me realise I was fighting a losing battle.

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><p>Two hours later we were waiting for the lift to get out of the hospital. I had just gotten five stitches in my finger. Sian had been right, the cut was pretty bad.<p>

"You okay babe?" She asked while we waited for the lift to arrive.

"Yeh, I'll be fine" I assured her for what felt like the hundredth time. "I promise".

"Good" she mumbled affectionately, leaning in close to peck my lips, just as the ding of the lift sounded, telling us the doors were opening.

A group of doctors rushed out of it, leaving only two occupants left; An old woman in a wheel chair and a nurse. Sian and I stepped in and I pressed the button for the car park.

"Sian Powers? You had better not be topping up them frequent flyer miles of yours again child" the booming voice of the nurse said, leaving a humming sound reflecting off the walls of the small space. Wrinkles appeared in the dark skin around her eyes and mouth, as she observed Sian with a tender smile.

"Tonya!" Sian greeted, enthusiastically as she embraced the middle aged woman in a bone crushing hug.

"How's things child? I thought I told you I didn't want to see you in here again" Tonya said as they broke their embrace.

"I'm not the patient this time" Sian assured her, "Sophie is. Sophie this is Tonya, she kept me sane while I was in hospital. Tonya this is Sophie, my girlfriend" Sian introduced us.

"Nice to meet you" I said, extending my good hand to shake hers.

She grasped it and shook it firmly. "I always knew my girl would find love once she got outta here. I said it to you loadsa times Sian" Tonya chortled.

"Yeh, and you were right" Sian said, grinning as she slipped her arm under mine to link it.

"What have you been up to child? it's been a long time since I last heard from you" Tonya asked as the lift reached the ground floor, where there was a little café and shop for visitors.

We followed Tonya out of the elevator as she pushed the woman in the wheelchair toward a set of double doors that had the word '_radiography'_ printed in silver above them. We stopped just before the double doors and she and Sian spent a few minutes chatting and catching up with each other before Tonya had to get back to work.

"It was good seeing you again child, and it was lovely to meet you Sophie but I better get going or missus Hodge here will be late for her X-ray. I hope I don't' see you around here again Sian, look after yourself, okay" Tonya said.

"Okay, bye Tonya. It was lovely to see you again" Sian said, embracing the woman in one final hug before we parted ways.

I couldn't resist, I found the nurses parting words strange, I had to ask, "Why did she say she hopes she doesn't see you again?"

Sian chuckled, flashing me a small smile. "She means she doesn't want to see me in the hospital again, as in that I won't be sick again. Not that she doesn't actually ever want to me again" Sian clarified.

I liked Tonya and I could tell from the exchanges between them that she meant a lot to Sian. "I hope that too" I mumbled, pulling her closer to me as we walked towards the car park. I placed a small kiss on her temple as we walked.

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><p><strong>Well that's that! As always, feedback is always greatly appreciated :) xx<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**As always, I want to say a massive thank you to everybody for the positive feedback this fic has recieved :) Ye're all beauts! I won't ramble on like I normally do, will just say once again, if anybody has any suggestions/requests for specific events/moments they would to see happening in this fic, feel free to let me know :) **

**Here's chhapter 10, hope ye enjoy (it's a bit fluffy :P)xx**

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><p><strong>April 13<strong>**th**** 2008**

The screeching sound of my alarm pierced the air, waking me with a start. I smacked the snooze button aggressively, turning my body so that I could bury my face in my pillow. I felt truly awful. My throat was sore, I had a wheeze in my chest and my entire body felt weak. After what felt like only twenty seconds, the five minute snooze was up and the alarm went off again. I turned the alarm off, feeling a cough tickling my lungs. I was a little afraid of letting the cough out because I could tell it was going to hurt when I did. I sat up in the bed, drawing my knees towards my body as I felt an uncomfortable rush to my head. My hands slid up from the bed to cradle my stomach protectively.

As I expected the space in the bed beside me was empty. I knew Sian would have gotten up to go for her run earlier and I could hear the shower running from the bathroom. I felt dizzy and could feel that I was drenched in a cold sweat. I reached to the bedside locker and grabbed the glass of water Sian had left there when we went to bed the night before. I gulped down some water in the hope of holding off the cough a little longer. I couldn't breathe through my nose so nearly choked on the water.

I quickly placed the glass back down as a coughing fit ripped through my lungs. I lay back down panting once it had subsided. I knew there was no way I'd be able to go into work today.

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><p>Sian came back into the room wearing her work clothes with a towel still wrapped around her damp hair. "Soph, are you not up yet? You're going to be late for work babe" she said as she made her way over to my full-length mirror.<p>

"I'm sick" I answered, my voice coming out as a barely audible, hoarse, squeak. At this moment I was struck by another coughing fit, as if to reinforce my case.

"Aww, babe" she said, letting the towel drop from her head as she turned from the mirror and made her way back to me. She knelt down on the bed beside me and gently laid her hand across my forehead. I automatically leaned into the comforting touch. "You're burning up Soph" she mumbled as she slid her hand down to my cheek.

I turned away from her quickly to release another cough, feeling it tear at my lungs as it escaped me. I turned back to her panting wheezily when I was done. "I'm freezing" I wheezed, my voice still barely audible.

Both of her hands cradled my face as she gazed down at me. "Maybe I should take you to the doctor babe" she murmured, feeling my forehead again.

"No… it's just the flu…. I'll be better by tomorrow" I argued, my hoarse voice sounding pathetic. "But…Can you pass me my phone?" I asked, gesturing towards the bedside locker behind her before sneezing into my hands.

"What for?" she asked as she handed me the phone.

"I need to call work…tell Jeremy I can't make it in" I answered, sneezing again.

"Sophie maybe you should let me do that, I can barely hear you and I'm sitting beside you so I doubt they'll be able to hear you down the phone" Sian said, taking the phone out of my hands again. I didn't protest at all, my body was far too weak to argue with her. "What's his number?" she asked, switching her position on the bed so that she was now sitting with her back against the headboard and one arm was draped carefully around me. I guessed she had scrolled through the J's in my phone contacts and couldn't find him.

"Have him saved under _'Angry Prick'_" I answered, eliciting a giggle from Sian.

"Soph! You can't call him that" she said, but I could still hear the giggle in her voice. She scrolled through my contacts again, pressing the dial button once she found him.

I lay on the bed, wheezing as I listened to the phone conversation. "Hello….is this Jeremy?... yes, hello my name is Sian….I'm just calling to let you know that Sophie is sick and she won't be able to make it in today…..from the sounds of it a chest infection and the flu…no she isn't….yes I'm sure…how rude! I'm her girlfriend actually and I'm taking her to the doctor once this call is finished….thank you….bye" Sian finished the conversation, angrily slamming the phone down on the mattress.

"What did he say to you?" I asked hoarsely, cuddling into her side. She didn't answer and pulled her own phone from her pocket. After a few seconds she lifted her phone to her ear, evidently making another phone call, "Babe?" I questioned hoarsely.

"Hi Susan" she said to the person on the other end of the phone, "Ya, it's Sian. I'm just calling to let you know that there's a bit of an emergency at home and I'm going to be a bit late for work today. Ya, it'll be about ten, if that's okay? ….Okay, thanks a million….ya…see you in a bit" Sian finished the call and replaced the phone in her pocket.

"What are you doing?... and what did Jeremy say to you?" I asked. I was starting to feel tired and it was becoming a struggle to keep my eyes open.

"I'm taking a few hours off work to bring you to the doctors. I can see why you call him _'Angry Prick' _now. He was just plain rude, swearing for no reason, accusing you of skiving and getting _'some random slapper' _to call in and do your dirty work for you" Sian answered, her hand finding its way to my forehead again.

"He said what?" I squeaked hoarsely, pulling myself into a sitting position, "I'll kill him!"

"No. You won't Soph" she said sternly, pushing me back down onto the bed. "You're going to lie there until I get back. I'm going to get you a cup of tea and some clothes to change into so I can take you down to the doctor"

"I don't need to go to the doctor" I protested, unfortunately another fit of coughing hit just as I finished the sentence. I was coughing so hard I was afraid I might throw up.

"Yes, you do Soph" she whispered gently, placing a chaste kiss on my forehead before getting up from the bed.

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><p>She left the room, returning a few minutes later with a mug of tea in her hands. "Here babe, sit up and drink some of this" she ushered, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. I laboriously pulled myself into a sitting position and took the cup from her. I took a sip and sighed in relief. Sian always made my tea perfectly and I was never more grateful for that than I was now. She got up from the bed, leaving me to enjoy the small comfort of the tea while she searched through my wardrobe for something for me to wear to the doctor. I had made my way through half of the tea by the time she returned with a pair of grey, Canterbury joggers, a black fitted t-shirt and my green Abercrombie hoody and some underwear.<p>

"I made an appointment for you with Dr. Carter" she said as she handed me the clothes.

"In Weatherfield?" I asked confused. I was getting more and more tired of how squeaky and hoarse my voice sounded.

"Well ya, if I tried to get an appointment in town we'd be waiting til next and I assumed Dr. Carter would know you considering you grew up round the corner from his medical centre" Sian explained as she helped me out of the bed.

She led me down the hall for a quick shower before helping me to get dressed. Then we left the apartment and got into my car so she could drive me to Weatherfield.

I felt very proud watching Sian drive. When I met her she didn't know how but she had asked me to teach her. I spent a few weekends driving with her and she was getting really good at it. She had her provisional licence so as long as I was with her in the car, we were fine.

We arrived at the medical centre five minutes early for the 9am appointment. We didn't have to wait long as there weren't any other patients in the waiting room yet. Sian had guessed right about it being a chest infection. We left the surgery at quarter past nine with a suggestion that I rest and drink plenty of fluids and with a prescription for some antibiotics. Sian stopped in a little chemist on the way back to the flat to pick up the antibiotics. She brought me back to the flat and set me up on the couch with blankets, pillows, water and put some cartoons on the tv. I was a bit sceptical at this but she insisted it would make me feel better to watch something that I didn't need to think about. She made sure I took the antibiotics before she left for work, promising she would come back to check on me during her lunch hour. I slipped into a dreamless sleep on the couch no more than ten minutes after she left.

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><p>"Soph….Sophie" I heard a voice calling me gently from somewhere to my left. Opening my eyes, I found Sian crouched down in front of me, holding a tray in front of her. "Hey there sleepy" she said gently. I still felt groggy and my throat and ribs ached from all the coughing.<p>

"Hi" I croaked, sitting up slightly "What time is it?" I asked noticing that the light coming through the window seemed quite a lot duller than when I'd last been awake. My breathing was still a bit laboured.

"It's nearly six in the evening" she told me, placing the tray she was carrying carefully on my lap.

"Six?" I squeaked, wondering how I could possibly have slept for so long.

"Ya, I came back at lunch but you were completely out of it. I just about managed to get you to take your antibiotic before you passed out again" she informed me, placing a small kiss to my forehead and stroking my hair gently. "Here, I made you some chicken noodle soup and I brought you your medicine and some juice" she added, gesturing towards the tray on my lap.

"Thanks" I whispered feebly, I still felt just as awful as I had done that morning. She had made the soup from a packet but added chunks of chicken and potato to it. Normally I wouldn't touch packet soup with a ten foot pole but I was exceptionally grateful for this. It tasted quite good with the extras Sian had added and it was making me feel better as its warmth spread through me. Once I'd finished, Sian handed me the pill I had to take and the glass of juice before taking the tray back to the kitchen.

I was already lying back down under my duvet by the time she returned from the kitchen. "Are you still feeling sleepy Soph?" she asked, leaning over the back of the couch to kiss the top of my head.

I nodded in response, sneezing almost immediately afterwards.

"Do you want to go to bed?" she asked, walking around the couched and kneeling down in front of me. I was already on my way back to sleep as she placed another kiss on my forehead, stroking my hair again. "Come on, I'll get you to bed and you'll feel better in the morning" she said, slowly pulling back the duvet.

She helped me up from the couch and grabbed my pillows before leading me down the hall to my bedroom. Once we reached the bedroom, she gently lowered me onto the bed, arranging the pillows just the way she knew I liked them. She kissed my forehead again before disappearing back into the sitting room to retrieve the duvet, which she brought into the bedroom and wrapped it snugly around me. She sat on the bed beside me with her back leaning against the headboard, stroking my hair and whispering words of comfort to me until I drifted off into another dreamless sleep.

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><p><strong>Well there ye have it! Hope ye enjoyed and as always, all feedback will be greatly appreciated ;) xx<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey everyone! Hope you haven't forgotten this fic just yet! So sorry this took so ridiculously long to post but I've been sicker than Sophie was in the last update (if you can remember that far back!) all this week. I've had a really bad chest infection and since I'm asthmatic I tend to get them worse than most people and am not able to fight them off as well so I've been on antibiotics and steriods all week. Not fun at all :P**

**Anywho, this is chapter 11 which I'm not entirely happy with but I am hoping the next update I have planned will make up for this one being kinda boring :P **

**As always, I really really appreciate the positive response this story has been recieving! It makes writing it so incredibly worthwhile for me so I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who takes the time to give me feedback on this story :D I love you guys!**

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><p><strong>May 3<strong>**rd**** 2008**

It was just after 9pm on a Sunday night and I was sitting in our living room with Katy and my sister Rosie. Sian was at Jane's. We'd spent the day at the Trafford centre with Rosie and Katy and had a late lunch in town. I dropped Sian at Jane's on the way home. She said she felt like she wasn't spending enough time with her sister anymore and they had planned a girly night in, watching movies and eating junk food. I respected this as Sian was spending almost all of her time with me and I knew how important it was to spend time with your sister.

Rosie was a glamour model, working for an agency in London. She had gotten what she referred to as her 'big break' when her agent asked her to do a reality show in London. The fickle nature of the whole thing had caused problems for Rosie's relationship with her boyfriend Jason, especially when she moved down to London. They split up but remained amicable with each other and after almost two years apart they finally decided to get back together and Jason moved to London to be with her.

I didn't get to see Rosie nearly as much as I'd like, although I'd never admit it to her, I really missed her after she moved down to London. In the nine months since Sian and I had officially gotten together, I hand only seen my sister seven or eight times. Rosie really was getting somewhere with the whole modelling career and although she was based in London, she travelled a lot for work. She had met Sian four times and spoken to her several times since we'd been going out and I was thrilled by how well they got on. Sometimes I thought Rosie even preferred Sian to me as whenever Rosie Skyped me she would always spend ages chatting to Sian, if Sian happened to be with me. Which to be fair, she usually was.

"Is Sian coming to see me off before I head back to London tomorrow then?" Rosie asked as she leaned over the coffee table to refill her wine glass.

"She staying with her sister tonight" I answered absentmindedly as Rosie refilled Katy's glass as well. As I wasn't much of a wine drinker, I had a glass of pear cider resting comfortably in my grip. I drifted off into thoughts of my blond beauty after Rosie mentioned her. I couldn't help it; Sian was still the most intriguing person I'd ever met.

"Look at this one" Rosie said to Katy breaking me from my thoughts.

"What?" I asked, looking between them as they both smirked in my direction.

"You can't even stop thinking about her long enough to pay attention to your sister, who you barely get to see" Rosie said in mock offense.

"What are you on about?" I asked, attempting to defend myself. They were right of course, I had been thinking of Sian. I could feel a slight blush creeping into my cheeks. It always happened when I knew I'd been busted.

"Aha! Look at those cheeks! You so were thinking of Sian" Katy joined in as she and Rosie began a teasing tirade against me. The banter began to escalate from here and I became the butt of many jokes at the hands of my sister and best friend. All in good nature, as I teased them back about their own relationships and they repeatedly accused me of being whipped.

We were still laughing and joking when my phone started vibrating from my pocket. I pulled it out, unnoticed by Katy and Rosie while they continued chatting. I slipped off the couch and made my way out to the balcony when I saw Sian's name flashing across my screen.

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><p>"Hey you, miss me already?" I answered the call as I slipped out onto the small balcony, shutting the door behind me.<p>

"Soph?" Her voice was timid and I immediately knew something was wrong. She sounded like she had been crying or at least was about to cry.

"Sian what's wrong?" I asked; worry instantly spreading through my body as I heard her sniff on the other end of the line.

"It's n-nothing" she answered. I could hear the tears in her voice now and I was starting to get scared. "Can I just come over to yours?" she asked.

"Of course you can, you know you don't even have to ask, you're welcome here whenever you feel like it" I told her honestly, without a moment's thought to the issue. "Sian what's happened?" I asked, still desperate to know what had upset her so much.

"I've just had a massive row with Jane. I'll explain everything when I get there." She told me.

"Wait, how're you getting here?" I asked, not wanting her to take the bus so late on a Sunday. There were always weirdos on the bus at this time of night. I was about to offer to drive over and collect her when I remembered that I'd been drinking all evening.

"Henry's giving me a lift" she answered. This sounded odd to me. If Sian and Jane had been arguing, why was Henry giving Sian a lift? Surely he'd be staying with Jane to comfort her after their fight. I'm not sure why but I was suddenly all the more eager for her to just get here so I could find out what was going on. "I'll see you in about ten minutes Soph"

"Ya, okay then. I love you" I replied, a million different scenarios running through my head as I gazed out at the city lights in the distance.

"Love you too, see you soon" she said, hanging up.

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><p>It had been fourteen minutes since Sian rang me and she still hadn't arrived at the flat. I felt the need to keep track of the time, if nothing else than to occupy myself. I had told Rosie and Katy that Sian was on her way over and that she had sounded upset on the phone and had taken to pacing back and forth across the living room.<p>

"Sophie, will you sit down before you wear a hole in the floor" Katy said, standing up from the couch and attempting to guide me back towards it.

"No, I don't feel like sitting" I refused, resuming my pacing.

"Sophie, she'll be fine. It's probably nothing. You know what it's like, sisters fight. We fight all the time" Rosie piped up, from her position in the arm chair.

"She's right Soph, I'm sure Sian and Jane will be back to bezzie mates by tomorrow morning" Katy agreed.

"I know, I know. I just want her to get here so I can make sure she's okay" I said, beginning to get frustrated by the amount of time that had passed since Sian had called, considering she still hadn't showed up.

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><p>It was seventeen minutes after her call that there was finally a knock on our front door. I bounded towards the door, without saying a word to either Katy or my sister who were both still perched on the couch, finishing off the last of the wine.<p>

I opened the door to a tearful looking Sian, who embraced me immediately. "Sian, what's happened?" I asked as she buried her face in the crook of my neck and I started to rub soothing circles on her back.

Movement in the doorway caused me to take my attention from my tearful girlfriend. Henry was standing in the doorway, holding what appeared to be Sian's overnight bag. "Henry, what are you doing here?" I asked confused.

"She left this in the car, I figured she might want it" he answered, holding out the bag. I gestured for him to leave it on the ground inside the door, not wanting to break the embrace Sian clearly needed.

"Does one of you want to tell me what happened then?" I asked, kissing the top of Sian's head.

"They had a little row, which turned into a big row. Screaming at each other. Throwing things" Henry explained quietly. "I'm sure it'll blow over, they usually do after a day or two" he added, saying the last bit quiet enough so that Sian wouldn't hear him.

I nodded in understanding and attempted to lead Sian into the apartment. She wasn't crying anymore but she was still cuddled into me, seeking comfort. "I better be getting back to Jane" Henry said, gesturing towards the door.

"Yeh, thanks for bringing her over Henry" I said as he made his way out.

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><p>Sian had calmed down enough for me to coax her into the flat. It was obvious to me that her tears were due to a mixture of anger and upset. "Do you want to talk about it babe?" I asked, keeping my hands on her hips as she moved slowly into the flat.<p>

"Ya" she answered quietly, making her way down the corridor to my bedroom.

I spoke quietly to Katy and Rosie, asking them to give us some space until I could find out what was wrong with Sian before I followed her to my room. It's not that I didn't want them around, it's just that I could see Sian was upset and I wanted to make sure she had some privacy. They were both very understanding and had stopped teasing me about our relationship since I'd gotten Sian's call. I thanked them both before padding down the hall to my room.

I stopped briefly outside my door. I wanted to give Sian a little warning so I knocked gently on the door before opening it and slipping into the room. She was sitting on my bed with her back against the wall. Her knees were drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped protectively around her legs. Her eyes were puffy from all the crying. I didn't say a word. I crossed the room and crawled onto the bed beside her. I sat beside her, resting my own back against the wall, and wrapped my arm around her. She laid her head gently on my shoulder. I decided waiting for her to speak first would be best.

It took her a long time to break the silence but eventually, after about twenty minutes, she spoke up. "Things were going great… we were getting on like we normally do. Then Jane thought we should catch each other up on what's been going on 'cause we haven't had much time to chat recently… I let slip about taking care of you when you were sick and she flipped out" Sian began slowly. I could sense she wasn't done so I stayed silent but gave her a reassuring squeeze so that she knew I was listening.

"She started going on about my _'damaged immune system' _not being able to handle something like that and I told her it was fine and that my white blood cell count has been normal for ages. She wouldn't listen though, she was saying all sorts about me being irresponsible and then she started saying stuff about you and that you should know better and that's when I lost my temper" she was beginning to ramble but I could tell she needed to get it out so once more I remained silent.

"We started shouting at each other. I said some horrible things Soph, she was only looking out for me. But she said some rotten stuff too. It got really bad, it was probably the worst fight we've ever had" Sian finished as a tear slid down her cheek. I brought my hand up to brush it away and let my hand linger on her cheek as she turned into my touch.

"Okay, well I'm here Sian, whatever you need I'm here but first, I need to know… could you being around me when I was sick have been really bad for you?" I asked, giving her a look that let her know I needed a truthful answer.

"Not anymore. My doctor said my white blood cell count is normal and that my immune system is pretty much back to normal" she answered. She took my free hands in both of hers and started to play absently with my fingers.

"Right. Good. Well you should explain that to your sister, let her know she's got nothing to worry about. I was sick weeks ago and you're fine. As for the horrible things you said to each other, it happens. Rosie and I have said some truly horrible things to each other while fighting, seriously we can be vicious when we get going, but at the end of the day, we know it's just the heat of the moment and that neither of us really means it. I'm sure it's the same with you and Jane. It's what sisters do" I said, trying to be supportive but also be the voice of reason at the same time.

"I…I told her I hated her" Sian whispered timidly, sounding as though she was about to cry again.

"Like I said, it was just the heat of the moment, I'm sure you both said things you regret" I replied, rubbing her arm soothingly.

"I've never said that to her before Soph, never. I didn't mean it. I felt awful the second the words came out but it was too late. Jane just flipped out completely, said she hated me too and told me to get out. She went on about how ungrateful I am and started attacking the relationship I have with you" Sian said, her voice barely louder than a whisper as the tears began to fall thick and fast.

"It'll be okay babe, trust me, you and Jane will be back to normal in no time" I assured her.

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><p>It took me a long time to calm Sian down. We talked the whole thing through. She even gave me a blow-by-blow of the fight she had with Jane. After exploring every possible angle, I managed to convince her that everything would be fine but that they both should apologise.<p>

Once she'd calmed down, I got her a t-shirt and a pair of joggers from my wardrobe to wear as pyjamas. Neither of us felt like going back up to the living room to get her bag as that would mean having to explain everything to Rosie and Katy.

I crawled into the bed and wrapped my arms around Sian. It wasn't late but she'd exhausted herself crying so I turned off the lamp and cuddled into her. She fell asleep in my arms almost instantly. I kissed her head as I listened to her soft, slow breathing. I knew things would work out between her and Jane, they were too close for one fight to come between them. I was only happy to have been able to be there for Sian when she needed me.

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><p><strong>Well there's chapter 11! All feedback is welcome, as always :) xx<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello everyone! Yes I am still alive! I am so very sorry that this update took so long but i have been ridiculously busy with school work! I started this chiapter on friday but couldn't get it finished and then didn't have time for it til now because I was in Dublin over the weekend! **

**Anyway enough excuses, I hope this long overdue chapter can make up for my extended absesne! That is provided you haven't forgotten this story existed since my last post! :P**

**As always thank you for the response my last post recieved, I hope you find this one a bit more interesting though ;)**

**Warning: contains themes of an adult nature! (again I'm not confident writing these sorts of scenes, so be gentle!)**

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><p><strong>June 8<strong>**th**** 2008**

I stretched luxuriously in my bed, feeling very well rested. I could see small beams of sunlight creeping through the half closed blinds on my bedroom window. I had just woken up, having enjoyed a wonderfully long and uninterrupted lie in as it was Sunday morning. The clock on my bedside locker informed me that it was just after eleven. The bed beside me was empty and I knew Sian must've been awake for ages already. She never slept past ten unless she was out drinking the night before. She was very much a morning person whereas most of the time I'd sleep all day if I was let away with it. She never would let me away with it though. I was actually surprised she hadn't woken me already. Sitting up in the bed, I glanced towards the wash basket in the corner and sure enough, Sian's running gear wear lying on top of the other dirty clothes. I don't think I'll ever understand how she got the motivation to go for that run every day but then again, she had told me she enjoyed running.

She and Jane were back to normal after the big fight they'd had last month. I had driven Sian over to Jane's the following day and they had a long talk together in Jane's room while Henry and I waited, somewhat anxiously in the kitchen, becoming more and more concerned as they stayed in there for over an hour. We simultaneously sighed with relief when the sisters came out of the bedroom, holding hands and smiling.

Stretching once more, I got out of bed and pulled on the clothes that had been scattered around my bedroom floor the night before. Once dressed, I went in search of my gorgeous girlfriend. I met Katy in the hall as I left my bedroom. "Morning" I greeted cheerfully.

"Hey Soph" she returned, zipping up her leather jacket. "Just heading out. Me and Ches are going round his sister's house for lunch today"

"Oh right, cool. Say hi to Ches and Fizz for me" I replied as we started walking towards the living room together. "Is Sian about?" I asked as we arrived in the living room.

"She was in the kitchen a minute ago, think she was making you breakfast" Katy answered, leaning over the back of the couch to grab her handbag.

"Aw, okay thanks Katy. See you later" I said, watching as my best friend slung her bag around her shoulders and headed towards the door.

"Yeh, see you in a bit Soph" Katy said as she reached the front door.

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><p>I made a beeline for the kitchen, stopping short in the doorway when I caught sight of Sian. A smile spread across my face as I leaned against the door frame to watch her for a minute. She was wearing a fitted, light green tank top and a pair of grey joggers, both of which I recognised as belonging to me. Her hair was tied back in a small ponytail at the back of her head. The thought made me smile even more. Sian was thrilled with how quickly her hair seemed to be growing back recently. My iPod was sitting in Katy's docking station on the kitchen counter and Sian was dancing along to the music that played from it while she went about making pancakes.<p>

Sian didn't really know how to cook much of anything that didn't come with instructions on the back of the packaging but a couple of weeks ago had asked me to show her some simple things she could make. It had made for an eventful Thursday evening last week when I was showing her how to make pancakes. She got excited when she watched me effortlessly flipping the pancakes in the pan but was disappointed when after countless tries she still couldn't manage to flip one properly. Katy and Chesney had returned to the flat to find bits of pancake plastering the kitchen walls and Sian and I engaged in a furious flour fight. After that she had resorted to using a fish slice to flip the pancakes.

She still hadn't noticed I was in the kitchen as she moved a pancake from the pan to a plate she had set waiting on the side. While she was pouring batter for another one into the pan a quietly crept across the kitchen until I was standing behind her. "Good morning beautiful" I whispered in her ear as I slid my arms around her waist.

She gave a slight start but then relaxed into my touch, leaning back against my chest. "Morning" she returned, a grin spreading across her face. "I was going to wake you when these were done"

I placed a gentle kiss on her bare shoulder, watching her tend to the contents of the frying pan. "You're getting good at that" I said as she used the fish slice to turn the pancake. I kissed her shoulder again. The smell of her mandarin and melon shampoo was intoxicating. It was stronger than usual because her hair was still half wet, showing it hadn't been long since she'd washed it. Sian never blow dried her hair if she could avoid it; she always preferred to let it dry naturally.

When she removed the second pancake from the pan I stopped her from picking up the jug of batter before she could start another one. "What you doing Soph?" she asked, giggling slightly. I turned off the cooker ring she'd been using and shoved the pan towards the back of the hob, away from the heat.

"Nothing" I mumbled playfully before leaving a trail of kisses from her shoulder, up her neck, stopping just below her ear and kissing my way back down to her shoulder once more.

"What about Katy?" she asked, sounding slightly concerned despite how preoccupied she was.

"She just left" I mumbled as I let my fingers wander down her stomach towards the hem of the green tank top she was wearing.

"Soph" she moaned, leaning her head back on my shoulder, giving me better access to her neck which I promptly took full advantage of. My lips moved up to suck on her pulse point as my fingers slid up under the tank top. Her hand came up to hold my head in place, her fingers tangling into the messy bed hair at the back of my head. My fingers danced tantalisingly slowly up over the skin of her toned stomach and I could feel the goose bumps being left in their wake. I couldn't resist smiling against her skin as a small moan escaped her lips. I loved that I could have such an effect on her.

She moaned once more as my hands finally came into contact with her breasts. As I had suspected, she wasn't wearing a bra under the tank top. I slowly began massaging her breasts and teasing her nipples which hardened almost instantly under my ministrations. Her breathing was heavy and shallow as I continued to lavish her neck with attention, biting down just hard enough to leave a mark over her pulse point before soothing the hot skin with my tongue.

Sian tried to turn her head to face me but before she could I swiftly lowered my hands to her waist and turned her body in my arms, lifting her slightly. She yelped in surprise as our faces were now millimetres apart. I brought our lips together in a heated kiss and lifted her slightly once more. Taking the hint she brought her legs up to wrap them around my waist and her arms around my neck.

I took a few steps to my left and set her down on the kitchen counter, our lips never break contact. Sian was the first to deepen the kiss, her tongue sliding across my bottom lip only to be granted entry to my mouth almost instantly. Our tongues engaged in a passionate battle for dominance as my hands found their way down to the hem of her top again.

We broke apart long enough for me to pull the tank top up over Sian's head. I threw the offending item over my shoulder, not caring where it landed as I reconnected our lips. My hands were resting on her hips so I slid my right hand up along her side until I reached her left breast again and restarted my previous ministrations on it.

My lips broke away from hers once more, only this time so I could trail kisses along her jawline and down her neck until I reached her collar bone. I made sure to leave another mark here, smirking at the small moans escaping my girlfriends lips as I sucked, licked and nibbled at her soft flesh. Once satisfied that I had paid her collar bone enough attention, I continued my descent towards her breasts, making sure to place a tender kiss to the round scar on her chest as I passed.

I took the stiff nipple of her right breast into my mouth, running my tongue gently over it before beginning to suck on it, occasionally running my tongue around it in circular motions as my hand continued to massage her other breast, teasing the nipple there with my fingers. Sian's hands were gripping my hair once more, holding me as close as she possibly could. Her head was thrown back and her eyes closed in pleasure.

"Sophie, your pare…OH MY GOD!" Katy's voice came from the direction of the kitchen door.

"Sophie!" Sian squealed in panic. I glanced up to see Katy standing at the entrance to the kitchen, a look of complete shock on her face. As soon as my mind registered what had just happened I stood up from my crouched position in front of Sian and used my body to shield hers. Her face was bright red and she looked to be on the verge of tears. I felt awful, I knew how self-conscious Sian was about her body.

"Katy, what the hell…" I began before my worst nightmare actually came true.

"Is everything okay Katy love, we heard you shouting from the living room" my mother said as she joined Katy in the kitchen doorway. If I had been slightly embarrassed when Katy walked in on us, mortified was an understatement right now. "OH MY GOD" was screeched for a second time in the space of five minutes as my mother turned her gaze and caught sight of what her youngest daughter had just been doing. "Sophie what the hell is going on in here?" she demanded as she quickly turned her back on me and Sian, bringing her hands up to cover her eyes for good measure.

Sian had buried her face in my shoulder and I was sure that I could feel the fabric of my t-shirt becoming damp where her face rested. I knew the situation was embarrassing for me but I knew Sian would only be crying because of the insecurities she felt over her body. I couldn't move as I was still using my body to shield Sian's naked upper body. My arms wrapped around her entirely in the hope of making her feel slightly less exposed. "Katy can you just pass me that top off the floor please" I asked through gritted teeth, glaring at my best friend for bringing my parents into the situation.

"Um, y-yeh" she muttered awkwardly, shuffling across to snatch the garment up from the floor.

"I'll just wait in the living room with your father" my mum said, walking out of the room with her hands still up at her eyes. I found small mercy in the fact that my dad hadn't followed her into the room.

Katy handed me the top and then followed my mum out of the room as swiftly as she possibly could.

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><p>"Here babe, they're gone okay" I whispered comfortingly to Sian, placing a small kiss to her hair as I offered her the top. She lifted her head from my shoulder and my suspicions were confirmed. She was crying. She pulled the top back over her head as quickly as possible before burying her face in my shoulder once more as she continued to cry. "Hey, it's okay Sian" I mumbled, rubbing her back in an effort to pacify her.<p>

"It's not though" she cried, lifting her head to face me once more. A shaky sob escaped her lips as I brought one of my hands up to cup her cheek, wiping some of her tears away with my thumb. "Sophie, I've never let anybody but you see me since…" she began, trailing off as a sob wracked her entire body. I knew what she meant. I pulled her into a hug, whispering words of comfort and reassurance to her, feeling more guilty than I ever had in my life. I know that I didn't let my parents into the apartment and there was no way I could've known Katy would come back with them in tow but I felt guilty because I had been the one to initiate what we had been doing when they walked in.

Sian was about ready to flee back to Jane's house but I wouldn't let her. I held her for a few minutes, letting her cry into my shoulder. I managed to convince her to go and wait in my bedroom while I got rid of my parents.

We walked out of the kitchen, hand-in-hand, with Sian still half hiding behind me. My dad and Katy were sitting on the couch but my mum was pacing back and forth in front of it. They all turned their gazes towards us when we entered the room. "I can't Soph, I've gotta go" Sian whimpered, starting to cry once more.

"No, Sian just wait in my room, okay?" I was practically begging her now. "Please?"

She nodded, sniffing as tears began to fall once more. It was in this moment that I had never been so simultaneously proud of and embarrassed by my mother. I pegged the understanding gaze she gave Sian down to the fact that she had survived breast cancer. It was something they had bonded over after my mum had found out about Sian's cancer around the fourth or fifth time they'd met.

"It's alright love" my mum said gently to Sian as she tried to make her way to the hall so she could escape to my room. "Come here" my mum said, stepping towards Sian. She took both of Sian's hands in hers. "You don't need to feel embarrassed okay. You're both fully grown adults, it could've happened to anybody. It was just a shock to see my daughter in that sort of….situation. Don't dwell on it okay? We can just forget about it" My mum told her in a quiet, sincere voice. Then she whispered something to Sian that none of the rest of us could here.

Sian gave her a small nod and whispered "Thanks Sally" before turning and making her way down the corridor, wiping the tears from her face as she went.

It wasn't until we heard my bedroom door snap shut that my mum rounded on me. She had a look on her face that told me that she wasn't about to be as nice to me as she had been to Sian.

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><p>"What did you say to her?" I asked before she could tear into me.<p>

"Never you mind" mum replied sternly. "Sophie what were you thinking doing something like that in the kitchen of all places. First off, being a chef you of all people should know how unhygienic that is and secondly you share a flat! Did you not think about that fact that when you live with someone else they can come and go as they please. Did it never once occur to you that Katy could come back at any minute? Jesus, Sophie do you ever think these things through?" she said anger lacing her voice. She spoke quietly, I assume for Sian's benefit. I'm not entirely sure why but I found the low volume more intimidating than I would have found the shouting I'd have gotten had Sian not reacted the way she did. My mother loved Sian. As far as she was concerned, Sian was the best girlfriend I'd ever had and in my mother's eyes, Sian could do no wrong. Me on the other hand, everything was my fault where my mother was concerned.

I assumed her last question was referring to the last time she caught me in a similar predicament. She had once walked in to find me and my first girlfriend in a rather compromising situation on the couch in the living room at home. At the time, I thought we'd have the house to ourselves for the day but my mum had returned early.

"Mum, it's none of your business what I do with my girlfriend in my own home and I knew Katy was spending the day with Chesney" I tried feebly to defend myself. I knew she was making some very valid points. "What are you doing here anyway?" I snapped, feeling frustrated at the situation.

"Oh that's lovely, really Sophie. We haven't seen you in such a long time, we decided to come and visit to make sure you were still alive!" mum threw back at me.

"Oh. Sorry" I muttered, shuffling my feet uncomfortably. My dad and Katy had remained silent for the duration of the exchanges between me and my mum but I was grateful when he broke into the conversation.

"Me and your mam wanted to know if you and Sian would like to come for dinner on Wednesday evening? Rosie and Jason are coming and we thought it might be nice to have a family dinner" Dad offered. Good old Dad. He was always great for trying to diffuse the tension between us and mum during arguments.

"Oh right, yeh, I'll….um….mention it to her….let you know" I mumbled, suddenly finding my feet very interesting.

"I want you both there at seven" my mum added sternly, letting me know it wasn't an optional family dinner. I was very touched by the fact they wanted to include Sian in _'family dinner'_ though. They had never taken to any of my previous girlfriends like they had to Sian. "Now, we won't stay for the visit we had intended to. We'll leave you to attend to that poor girl" My mum said, gesturing towards my room.

I simply nodded in grateful understanding. All in all, I thought the situation could have been a lot worse. It had been way worse the first time my mum caught me in that sort of situation but I suppose at twenty three she didn't really have the ability to ground my like she did when I was sixteen.

"Come on Kevin. See you Wednesday Sophie. Bye Katy" My mum said before stalking over towards the front door. I knew she was still angry with me but I was relieved by how well she had handled the situation.

"Bye girls" my dad added. He made his way around the couch to give me a hug before following my mum out the door.

I waited until the door had closed behind them before I rounded on Katy. "What the hell?" I groaned, exasperatedly at my best friend.

"I'm so sorry Soph! I met them downstairs so I said I come up and let them in. I never thought you might be…. y'know… doing that" she said, her voice sounding frantic as she tried to apologise.

"It's fine. It's not your fault" I sighed, massaging my temples.

"Is she going to be okay?" Katy asked, somewhat timidly, gesturing towards my room.

"Ya, I think so. She's just really insecure about her body after the cancer treatment" I answered, still massaging my temples in a vain attempt to get rid of the headache I was starting to get.

"Well, if it helps, I didn't see anything, you know, intimate. I realised what you were doing before my eyes could really take in the… whole scene" Katy promised awkwardly.

"Good, I'll tell her that" I said, beginning to head in the direction of my bedroom.

"Tell Sian I'm sorry" Katy said as I reached the entrance to the hall.

"I will" I answered as I walked away.

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><p>Sian was lying on my bed with her back to the door. She had put on one of my hoodies since I'd last seen her and judging by the occasional soft, sniffing sounds, she was still crying. I crossed the room quietly and got onto the bed behind her. "Hey" I whispered gently as I shuffled across the bed to her and wrapped my arm around her waist. "They're gone"<p>

She turned to face me, she had just about stopped crying and her eyes were still red and puffy. "Just hold me Soph" she asked, burying her face in my neck once more.

"Course" I mumbled, wrapping my arms around her and kissing the top of her head.

After quite some time of us just lying there in silence, Sian emerged from her hiding place to look up at me. "Feeling better?" I asked, unwilling to let my voice rise above a whisper.

She gave me a small nod and I kissed the tip of her nose. "You must think I'm so stupid" she mumbled.

"I could never think that of you" I promised her. "I totally understand why you were upset Sian. You don't need to justify that to me. Ever."

"Thank you Sophie" she mumbled, shuffling up on her pillow so that our faces were level. She leaned her forehead against mine, closing her eyes.

"If you don't mind me asking… what did my mum say to you?" I asked, timidly.

A small smile flickered across her lips. "That I didn't need to feel embarrassed, I should be proud of how far I've come but that it's okay to cry if I need to. And then she promised me that no one had seen the scar" she whispered.

"They haven't. Katy told me she didn't see anything and that she was really sorry" I told her. "Everything will be okay Sian"

"I know, it was just the shock and the thought of anyone except you seeing me" she mumbled.

"I've told you before, you're the most beautiful person I've ever known. Don't ever forget that" I said sincerely.

She nodded in response. "Can we just stay like this for a bit?" she asked without opening her eyes.

"Ya, for a bit" I answered. We lay there in silence for some time and Sian eventually slipped into a light sleep. I could tell from the way her breathing changed. I assumed she'd tired herself out crying.

I left her briefly to make the pancakes that had been forgotten in all the drama and returned with a plate full off them and some Nutella on a tray to wake her at almost four in the afternoon. Once she'd eaten I told her I needed to get her out of the house and managed to convince her to let me take her to the cinema.

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><p><strong>That's that then. Hope you enjoyed Chapter 12 and I promise I'll TRY to make the gap between updates MUCH MUCH shorter this time! xx<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys! I'm sorry this took so long (surprise surprise) but everything is really hectic for me right now! And on top of everything Ihave to do, I've become addicted to The Hunger Games! Almost finished the books and Cannot wait for that movie!**

** I have decided I'm not going to make promises about when I can update anymore because the way things have been for me lately, I can't predict how/when I'll find time to write! I can only promise you that I will get the updates posted as quickly/frequently as I possibly can!**

**I'm not going to lie, I don't like this update except for the last bit but then again, i rarely like what I write! I can only hope that you will enjoy it and that you haven't forgotten this story! As always I'm very grateful for the positive response I got for the last post! **

**As always reviews are greatly apperciated and welcomed! You really don't know how much your responses mean to me!**

**Here's chapter 13 :)**

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><p><strong>July 18<strong>**th**** 2008**

I pulled my aviators from the top of my head and slid them over my eyes. I had just gotten out of work and decided to walk because the weather was so fantastic. Everything about this day seemed fantastic; it was Friday so I had a late start at work, Jeremy wasn't in work, Sian and I met up in town for a lovely lunch, Jeremy wasn't in work, I finished early, Jeremy wasn't in work, the weather was fantastic and I hadn't had to deal with Jeremy all day.

I plugged in my iPod and put it on shuffle, smiling to myself as Rilo Kiley's _'Portions for Foxes' _as I walked. It was the perfect song to match the weather and my good mood. I felt like everything was going right for once as I approached the bus stop, looking forward to the evening ahead of me. By the time the bus stop came into view I had a grin plastered to my face. I felt my phone vibrate in my jeans pocket. Pulling it out, my grin only intensified as I saw the message was from Sian. I felt confusion when I read what she had text me; _'Cute sunglasses babe ;) Xx'_

I quickly looked up from my phone, glancing around expecting to see her. I couldn't see her anywhere. My phone vibrated again with a new message; _'Ur bum looks cute in those jeans too! ;)'_

Before I could look around this time, I was jolted forward as a body collided with me, jumping on my back, arms wrapping around my neck from behind and knocking my headphones out. I only just managed to stop myself from falling forward and landing flat on my face. I knew who had jumped on my back before her giggle confirmed my suspicions.

"Sian! What are you doing?" I said, trying to sound annoyed. In reality, I found her antics adorable.

"Nothing, I just thought I'd come pick up the beer with you, I missed you" she answered with a small giggle, kissing the back of my head.

"And you couldn't have been a bit more gentle about it?" I asked as I started walking towards the bus stop with Sian still on my back.

"I was getting tired and your back looked so inviting" she said, lowering her head so she could kiss my cheek.

"You're lucky you're so cute" I grumbled as we reached the bus stop and she dismounted my back.

She grabbed my hand and swung around so she was standing in front of me. "Hi" she mumbled, leaning in to give me a brief kiss. Too brief.

"Hey" I replied with a smile, just as our bus pulled up to the stop.

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><p>I turned the trolley down onto the drinks aisle in Tesco, catching up with Sian. "What do Ches and his mates drink?" she asked, looking up and down the shelves in front of her.<p>

"Well Ches drinks Carlsberg so get a case of that anyway. As for his mates, I dunno but I'm sure they wouldn't turn their noses up at some free beer. Just get a couple of different kinds" I said, pushing the trolley a little further down the aisle.

"Babe, Katy said to remind you to get more cider than last year" Sian said as she pulled a case of Carlsberg down from the shelf in front of her. It didn't take us long to fill the trolley and soon enough we were making our way towards the tills. The trolley was considerably heavier, having acquired three different cases of beer, two cases of cider, a bottle of vodka, a bottle of tequila, a bottle of Malibu, two bottles of Bacardi and some wine. Sian pulled it from the front to make steering easier for me.

As we joined the short queue at the till closest to the door, I noticed a little old woman in front of us giving us disapproving looks. I stared back at her, trying to figure out what her problem was. Sian must've noticed me staring out the little old woman because she asked; "Soph, are you alright babe?"

"Wha? Oh, yeh, sorry" I mumbled, trying to forget the stares from the old grouch.

As she finished paying for her groceries, a young woman took her bags for her and as they walked away I got my answer as to what her problem with us was. "It really is disgraceful how much young ladies are drinking these days Maureen" she griped loudly

"I know mum" Maureen answered, sounding utterly fed up as Sian and I burst into fits of giggles at the old woman's words.

It wasn't until we had paid for all the drink that I realised a major flaw in my _'walking and enjoying the weather plan'_. We wouldn't be able to carry it all home without a car. Sian seemed to be on the same wavelength as we approached the door.

"Ehm, Soph… where's your car?" she asked. I could tell she was trying desperately not to laugh at my stupidity.

"At home" I muttered, pulling a face at her as laughter finally burst from her. She was doubled over, in tears laughing at me as I pulled out my phone to ring Chesney to come and get us.

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><p>We were having a party at mine and Katy's flat. For the past three years we had hosted a party on the Friday that Katy finished up at school for the summer. We had started calling it our <em>'Annual Summer Kick-Off Party'<em>. Not the most imaginative of names but it got the point across. We both invited friends and a couple of people from work. This year Chesney and Sian had invited a couple of people each as well so we knew it would be a bit bigger a turn out than usual but we were still excited about the forthcoming night.

After Chesney came and collected Sian and me from Tesco I my car, we were faced with the arduous task of moving everything from the car up to the flat.

Katy arrived in the sitting room, freshly showered, dressed in her party outfit and looking quite relaxed and comfortable as the three of us collapsed exhausted on the couch after we deposited the last of the drink on the table that Katy had set up for it in the kitchen.

"Come on guys. Ye need to get ready, people will be arriving soon" Katy said as she set up her iPod docking station in the living room. None of us replied, opting rather to shoot death glares at her from our positions on the couch. "What?" Katy asked, turning back to see we hadn't budged.

"We've just carried _all _of that drink up three flights of stairs" I gasped exasperatedly.

"Well, you still need to start getting ready. I did the food you know!" Katy returned.

"You mean you heated up the food I prepared last night and put some nibbles into bowls" I said, sticking out my tongue as I laboriously pulled myself up from the couch.

An hour and a half later, we were dressed and ready. Rosie and Jason were the first guests to arrive, bringing another bottle of wine with them. The flat filled up pretty quickly with people and I was glad to see I recognised almost all of them. I had invited some friends of mine and Katy's from college, a couple of people from work, Katy had invited three other teachers she was friends with at work, Chesney had brought his mates Ryan and Ben and there were Sian's mates Becky, Tina and Tommy whom I had met at her birthday party. We had cleared space in the living room for dancing and Katy and I had perfected our party playlist in preparation for the party.

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><p>An hour into the party, drinks were flowing, a couple of people were dancing, people were scattered around the flat chatting, eating and drinking. Things seemed to be going well.<p>

I was chatting to Siobhán from work when I felt the familiar pair of arms snake their way around my waist from behind. "Hey you" I greeted cheerfully, leaning back into Sian's embrace.

"Hi" she returned, kissing my cheek.

"Sian, this is Siobhán. She works at the restaurant with me. Siobhán this is my girlfriend, Sian" I introduced as the pair shook hands.

We continued chatting with Siobhán about work and were soon joined by her boyfriend Mark, who she had brought to the party with her, and who wanted her to dance with him.

"That sounds like a good idea. Wanna dance Soph?" she asked, slipping her arms around my waist once more as Gavin DeGraw's song _'In Love With A Girl' _started playing through the docking station's speakers.

"Now there's an offer I can't refuse" I replied resting my forehead against hers, "Did I tell you that you look amazing tonight?" I asked, causing a grin to spread across her lips. She really did. She was wearing a turquoise coloured, textured flare, skater skirt with a sleeveless, white dressy t-shirt. It was a simple look but she looked perfect in it.

"No, but thank you" she mumbled against my lips, slowly moving almost imperceptibly closer to my lips. I leaned forward to close the remaining few millimetres between us but she pulled back with a giggle.

"Hey" I said, my voice barely louder than a whisper, a smile spreading across my lips. I leaned forward once more and she came just as close as before, moving in as if to kiss me but stopping once more. Again, I moved to close the distance between us but she pulled back at the last second, laughing as I started to pout like a moody toddler. "Siaaannn! Quit teasing" I complained.

"I'm sorry" she mumbled. I could hear the amusement in her voice. "Want me to kiss it better?" she asked playfully. I nodded, exaggerating my pout as much as I could. She finally brought our lips together at last and I smiled into the kiss. Our lips moved together in sync and I slipped my hands into her hair. I soon felt her tongue pushing against my lower lip and I immediately parted my lips to give it the access we both craved so dearly.

The night continued in much the same fashion; we drank more, danced together and mingled amongst the other guests.

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><p>It was after four in the morning when people began to filter out of the apartment to get taxis home. Rosie was passed out on the couch and Jason was sitting beside her, barely hanging onto consciousness himself. Katy and Ches were in the kitchen playing a game of poker with the few stragglers that remained.<p>

I was still feeling the effects of the alcohol I had consumed in the hours since the party began. Sian and I were the last ones left dancing. We were swaying a little too slowly and slightly drunkenly to Jason Mraz' _'I'm yours'_.

"Babe?" Sian mumbled as the song came close to its end.

"Yeh?" I asked, pulling back slightly to look at her.

"Maybe we should get some fresh air? Try sober up a bit" she suggested, gesturing towards the balcony doors.

"Yeh, sounds good" I mumbled. Stilling our swaying, we walked towards the balcony doors hand-in-hand, and slipped out into the cool morning air. A thin sliver of light was beginning to creep up on the horizon. Sian gripped the railings of the balcony, gazing out across the city scape. "Admiring the architecture babe?" I asked with a slight giggle, wrapping my arms around her waist and placing a kiss to her shoulder.

"Always" she giggled, leaning back into my embrace. "I love you Soph"

"I love you too" I answered, kissing her neck this time. We stayed in a comfortable silence for a while, enjoying each other's company and the sobering effects of the morning air.

Something had been playing on my mind for weeks now and as I stood on the balcony with her, I felt it was as good a time as any to broach the subject. I didn't think I could stand the waiting and wondering about her reply any more.

"Sian…." I said quietly, gently breaking our peaceful silence.

"Mmm?" she mumbled to show me she was listening

"I've been wondering… what would you think about…. Um, I mean, would you… would you…like to… move in with me?" I asked, stumbling over my words. Even after all this time, she still made me nervous without even doing anything. I felt as though the tension that had been building inside me since I thought of asking her had finally been released.

She turned in my embrace, wrapping her arms around my neck. She gave me a small smile as she gazed into my eyes. "You're sure this is what you want Soph? You're not just asking this spur of the moment because you've been drinking?" She asked, seriously.

"No, it's not spur of the moment. I'm pretty much sober now and I've been trying to build up the courage to ask you for ages" I said as sincerely as possible, gazing back into her eyes, trying to read her reaction.

"In that case, I'd love to move in with you Sophie Webster" she said, a grin spreading across her lips as she leant in to kiss me. It was one of the happiest moments of my life.

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><p><strong>There you have it! Chapter 13!<strong>

**Remember to leave me your thoughts on the way out. I really do love hearing them ;)**

**Also, be gentle as I haven't proof read this! xx**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey Everyone! It's been forever since my last update (as usual) so I've made this one a bit longer in the hopes of earning your forgiveness! I was going to put this up yesterday but my dad took me to dinner for my birthday and we got home much later than I expected! So considering that it was my birthday I think you should be extra nice about this update ;)**

**I would like to just say that I think most people will have forgotten the beginning of this fic, so I would recommend you occasionally flick through the first paragraph to maintain the point/purpose of this story! Also the dates on the updates are an important element of the story aswell! It is important to reme,ber that this story has been adapted from an essay I wrote for english in school so that I already have the main events & end planned out!**

**Anyways, here's Chapter 11! Hope you enjoy :)**

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><p><strong>July 19<strong>**th**** 2008**

I woke before Sian, a grin spreading across my face as I remembered that she had agreed to live with me only a few hours ago. At that moment she rolled over in her sleep and cuddled into my side. I tried to judge the time of day based on the light that was filtering through the half open shutters on _our_ bedroom window. The thought made my smile spread even wider. _Our bedroom._

I was assuming it was around one in the afternoon. After Sian had agreed to move in with me we had retreated to bed so we could adequately express our happiness at this development in our relationship to each other. After a couple of hours making love to one another we had fallen asleep in each other's arms.

I pressed a gentle kiss to her temple, whispering "I love you" before pulling away. I managed to extricate myself from the bed without waking her and dressed in a t-shirt and joggers before I carefully crept out of the room, making my way down the hall to the bathroom.

When I came back out of the bathroom, I found Katy waiting to get in. "Afternoon Miss Webster" she greeted, still seeming rather sleepy.

"Alright Katy? What time did you get to bed at?" I returned cheerfully.

"Um, we played poker in the kitchen 'til almost six before me and Ches went to bed. Becky, Ryan and Cathal were still playing when we left though. I can't believe I'm awake already though, the time we went to bed at!" Katy said, leaning against the wall to support her tired frame. "I think I might still be drunk" she groaned.

"What time is it?" I asked, knowing my assumption that it was only one would probably be wrong.

"Half two. I'm going back to bed after this" Katy answered, gesturing towards the bathroom. So I hadn't been too far off on the time then.

"Katy, I've got some news" I said, remembering she had no idea I'd asked Sian to move in.

"Can it wait Soph? I need to pee and I'm still wrecked" she replied.

"Charming! Go to the bathroom but let me tell you before you go back to bed" I said, hoping for some compromise.

"Deal" she muttered before disappearing into the small bathroom.

I made my way into the kitchen to get some water while I waited for Katy to finish in the bathroom. I smirked seeing the remaining sleeping party guests that were strewn across the living room in various uncomfortable positions. Rosie and Jason were still on the couch. Sian's friend Becky was curled up in a duvet on the floor in front of the couch. Chesney's mate Ryan was asleep in one of the armchairs with his feet resting on the coffee table and Cathal, a friend of mine and Katy's from college was curled up in a ball in the other arm chair. You swear we were still teenagers, having house parties while our parents were away, rather than adults in our twenties. It made me smile to think how little we'd all changed since college.

By the time I'd gulped down a few mouthfuls of water, Katy had made her way into the kitchen. I offered her a glass of water which she graciously accepted.

"So what's this news you have for me?" She asked, sipping from her glass of water.

"Well… last night…. I asked Sian to move in!" I blurted out, my voice rising in excitement towards the end of the sentence.

"Did you and Ches plan this or summat?" she asked, a smirk creeping across her face.

"Ches? Plan what? What are you on about Katy?" I asked genuinely confused.

"Last night, Chesney told me he's moving out of the flat he has with Ryan and Ben and then he asked me if I wanted to get a flat together" Katy explained, failing to suppress a grin as she spoke.

"Are you serious? I never told Ches I was gonna ask her! This is mad" I said excitedly as Katy put her glass down on the counter.

"Look at us Webster! We're all grown up, moving in with our partners" she giggled, embracing me in a hug. We spent a few minutes chatting before Katy went back to bed, still feeling exhausted.

I lingered in the kitchen long enough to make two cups of tea before returning to mine and Sian's room. I was certain I would never get sick of calling this place _ours_.

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><p>I set my own cup down on the bedside locker and sat down on the edge of the double bed, still holding the one I had brought for Sian. "Babe" I called gently, placing my hand on the arm she had resting on top of the blankets.<p>

She stirred, slightly but didn't wake. "Sian" I said speaking a little louder and nudging her arm this time.

She inhaled deeply through her nose before her hand came up to rub at her eyes. She pushed an exaggerated breath through her lips before lowering her hand to look at me. "Hey" she mumbled, sleepily when she finally looked up at me.

"Hey beautiful" I returned, leaning down to peck her lips. "I brought you some tea"

"Thank you" she mumbled, pulling herself up into a sitting position so she could take the cup from me. She took a sip from it and sighed contently as she leaned back against the headboard of the bed.

"So, I have some news for you" I said, picking up my own cup of tea and taking a sip.

"What's that then?" she asked, looking at me over the rim of her cup as she blew gently on the hot liquid that sat inside it.

"Well, you know how last night you agreed to move in?" I asked, pausing for dramatic effect.

She nodded in acknowledgement before I continued.

"Turns out, Ches and I have been in a similar frame of mind recently because he asked Katy to get a flat with him last night" I stated.

"Are you serious?" she asked incredulously "And you and Ches never planned to do it at the same time?"

"Nope, it just worked out that way. Really strange coincidence" I laughed.

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><p>We had just finished a breakfastlunch of scrambled eggs with spinach and mushrooms with Rosie, Becky and Cathal when Katy surfaced again. She walked in to the kitchen looking a little worse for wear. Ryan and Jason were still asleep in the living room. We had of course filled our friends in on the fact that I'd asked Sian to move in and they were all thrilled for us.

"Want some eggs Katy? Sophie's made loads" Sian offered as she poured herself a fresh glass of apple juice.

Katy merely grunted her disapproval of the idea, her hangover apparently having crept up on her since I'd last seen her.

"I don't think Katy's in any fit state for food at the moment babe" I laughed, watching Katy set about making herself a cup of coffee as Sian sat back down beside me at the kitchen table. Sian kissed my cheek before settling into her seat.

"I better get goin" Becky muttered, lifting herself from the kitchen table "I've got to be in work at seven so I'm gonna grab a few hours in bed before I have to get ready for it. Cheers for the breakfast Sophie. See you later Sian" Becky gave Sian a quick hug before saying a brief goodbye to the room at large and retreating to the living room to collect her things before she let herself out.

"I best be off too, Maria will be wondering why I've not been home yet" Cathal said, also rising from the kitchen table. "Soph, K, it's been fun as always. Sian it was nice to finally meet the woman who's tamed our Sophie. Rosie, pleasure as always! Bye ladies"

"He always was a charmer wasn't he" Rosie laughed, taking a sip from her coffee as Katy plonked down into the chair beside her.

"What did he mean, I've tamed you?" Sian asked, eyeing me with mock suspicion. Katy had dropped her head to the table and groaned.

"Oh, Soph used to be a right wild one before she met you. She was never good with relationships before this" Rosie teased good naturedly. It didn't stop me giving her the _'shut up now' _look though.

"How d'you mean?" Sian asked, sending a cheeky grin my way. She was loving the idea of her having such a dramatic effect on me. I could tell.

"Well, this is the longest relationship Sophie's ever had. She didn't really do relationships in college and even after that they never lasted long. I think the longest one was about three months. She used to get bored and jack them in after a few weeks. Of course one or two of her previous girlfriends met our parents but I don't think she's ever even come close to asking a girl to live with her before" Rosie said with a smirk.

"True story" Katy groaned helpfully against the table top.

"Oh really?" Sian said, sliding her arms around my neck "And how exactly did I tame you?" She brought her lips as close as possible to my cheek without actually touching it.

My eyes fluttered closed involuntarily at the thought of her lips being so close to me. "Y-you're different. I love you" I answered honestly.

"You've never been in love before?" Sian asked incredulously. I could sense that Rosie and Katy were listening for my answer just as intensely as Sian was so I figured I should continue my honest streak.

"Not like this. I've never felt about anyone the way I do about you. Like, even now, after almost knowing you for a whole year you can still make me as nervous as you did before our first kiss" I said, opening my eyes once more.

"Aww babe… you're so cute" Sian cooed, pressing her lips to my cheek, letting them linger for a moment. "I love you too"

"You two are too cute, it's sickening" Rosie piped up, reminding us that we weren't alone.

"I think I'm gonna be sick" Katy groaned, lifting her head from the table top. I thought she was joking until she bolted from the kitchen table, making a beeline for the sink.

"Not in the s..." I began but it was too late. Katy heaved into the sink, causing all three of us to turn our heads away.

"Way to kill the moment Katy" Rosie joked, shooting a smirk in my direction.

Sian got up from the table to help Katy. She rubbed her back soothingly and handed her a glass of water and some kitchen towel when Katy was done throwing up. Evidently, her hangover was worse than I had first assumed.

"On that note, I'm gonna go wake Jason so we can get off home" Rosie said, standing up. "Bye Sian, Katy, feel better babes. And I'll see you for our lunch date on Tuesday baby sister" Rosie bade farewell, hugging me before she left.

"I'm going to brush my teeth and go back to bed" Katy muttered. She left the kitchen, thanking Sian as she went.

"Did you really mean what you said before" Sian asked, crossing the kitchen so she could sit in my lap.

"Course I did" I mumbled, as she slid her arms around my neck. "I'm so happy to have found you"

"I love you Soph" she replied, closing the gap between us, bringing our lips together in a tender kiss. My hand found its way to her thigh and began gently caressing the skin it found there. The kiss grew more heated and Sian moaned quietly as my teasing fingers reached the bottom of her sleep shorts.

At this point she broke the kiss. "Do you want to go back to bed Soph?" she asked, biting her lip suggestively with a knowing smile.

"Do you even need to ask?" I said, as she stood up, pulling me up by the hand. I scooped her up into my arms, eliciting a giggle from her. She wrapped her arms around my neck to make carrying her a little easier for me. She leaned her head forward to place a kiss to my neck before I started carrying her towards _our _bedroom.

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><p><strong>July 25<strong>**th**** 2008**

I parked the car as close to the door as possible. The car was packed with the third load of Sian's things we had moved from Jane's to the flat today. She had decided to wait until the Friday following me asking her to officially move in because she said it was good luck to move on a Friday.

Katy and Chesney had found an apartment almost immediately after they had recovered from the party antics of the previous week. As it turned out, there was another apartment free at the end of the hall on our floor in the building we lived in. Katy was only moving three doors down from the apartment we had shared since we started UNI together. I found the idea of not living with my best mate strange so I was glad she was still so close.

I undid my seatbelt and got out of the car to meet Sian at the boot. She grabbed a box of clothes that had a green sleeve hanging over the side from the boot. "Will you grab that one please babe?" she asked nodding towards the box she had packed some of her books in. Sian had a lot of books. I had already carried two other boxes of books up to the apartment.

"I love how you get me to carry all the heaviest ones" I said, bending my knees so I could lift the box from the boot. I grunted as I pulled it out of the boot.

"I don't know what you mean" she laughed, making her way towards the entrance to the apartment building. She was kind enough to hold the door for me as I lugged the heaviest box we'd collected all day.

* * *

><p>By the time I reached the flat I was out of breath and Sian was nowhere to be seen. I dropped the cumbersome load on to the couch before tumbling over the back of the couch myself. I was laying upside down on the couch with my legs hanging over the back of it when Sian appeared from down the hall.<p>

"What you doing, you big goof" Sian giggled, approaching the back of the couch and resting her hands on my knees.

"Resting" I answered, "You're trying to kill me aren't you?"

She began laughing at me. "Of course not. You might want to shape up a bit though babe" she joked.

"Oi! If you think I'm so out of shape, maybe I shouldn't be helping you lug this stuff up three flights of stairs" I countered.

"Okay, I'm sorry Soph. Come on, there's only a couple more boxes and then we're done" she said, holding her hands out for me to take. I grabbed hold of them and she pulled me back up off the couch.

Once we had retrieved the last of the boxes from the car and I had moved it back to my normal parking space, we made our last trip up to the flat. I was quite ready to collapse on the couch with a nice, cold can of my favourite pear cider and Sian in my arms.

Sian however, had other plans. "What you doing babe?" she asked, coming into the kitchen behind me.

I had just pulled two cans from the fridge for us. "Thought we could relax with some crap tv and a few cans to reward us for all our hard work" I explained.

"We're not finished yet Soph" Sian said, leaving me confused.

"I thought you said those were the last of the boxes?" I asked, dreading the thought of having to do anymore heavy lifting after the long day we'd had.

"They were, but now we need to put everything away" Sian said, as though I should have expected this.

"Can we not do that later?" I asked, placing the two cans down on the counter. Sian crossed the kitchen to stand in front of me and placed her hands loosely on my hips.

"If we do that, then two months from now there'll still be boxes to unpack because we'll never get around to finishing it" she said logically. I knew she was right but I was knackered. I was about to argue when she brought her lips to mine.

She kissed me sweetly, her hands gripping slightly tighter at my hips. I brought my hands up so that one rested at the curve of her neck and the other entangled in her soft, blond hair. I was getting lost in the kiss and was about to deepen it when she pulled away.

"No more of that until we finish unpacking" she giggled, giving me a wink before turning out of our embrace and skipping playfully towards the kitchen door.

"Ugh! You're such a tease" I groaned, following her out into the living room.

"You know you love it" she laughed as she began pulling books from the box I had plonked on the couch earlier. She started sorting the books into one of the shelves Katy had emptied when she moved in with Chesney.

* * *

><p>"How can one person have so many books?" I asked, handing her a small pile, "Surely you haven't read all of them"<p>

"Of course I have, some more than once" she answered, taking the books from me. I knew she read a lot but the amount of books she had was ridiculous. I only had a few cook books myself, most of which were presents from other people that I had never read.

I scanned some of the titles while she went about organising the books; _'Catcher in the Rye', 'The Virgin Suicides', 'A Confederacy of Dunces', 'The Hunger Games', 'The Elegance of the Hedgehog', 'The Secret Life of Bees', 'Under the Hawthorne Tree', _various books on architecture and of course, Sian's favourite book _'To Kill a Mockingbird'_. Seeing it reminded me I had promised her months ago I would try to read it. I made a mental note to put an effort in to that now that she was here and had, from what I could see, more than one copy of it.

"Exactly how many copies of _'To Kill a Mockingbird'_ do you have?" I asked, handing her a few more architecture books from one of the boxes on the floor that we had brought up earlier.

"Three. The first one was given to me by my grandmother when I was about ten, the second was a present from my dad after I got my GSCE results and that one was a gift from Tonya when I was in hospital" Sian answered, pointing to each one in turn.

"That's really sweet" I said quietly, handing her more books. I was beginning to wonder exactly how many books she actually owned.

"Have you read all of the architecture books?" I asked, as we came to the end of the second box.

"Ya, some were for my course in UNI but most of them I got myself or were given to me as presents" she answered, continuing to sort out the books. She had nearly filled three shelves of the built-in book case in the living room at this stage. "I really enjoyed the ones where I felt the writer had the same passion for it that I do. It always made the book more interesting than the ones trying to just teach you what you_ need to know _about architecture. I like when they give you some of the history of architecture because there is so much more substance to it than just buildings. Frank Lloyd Wright said that _"Architecture is the triumph of human imagination over materials, methods and men to put man into possession of his own earth. It is at least the geometric pattern of things, of life, of the human and social world. It is at best the magic framework of reality that we sometimes touch upon when we use the word order"_. I love that quote because for me, it describes architecture perfectly." Sian spoke so passionately that I couldn't help be drawn in by her.

I had stepped closer to her as she spoke until I could wrap my arms around her waist from behind. I loved when she spoke about architecture. I may not have understood everything she said, but it always brought a spark of passion into her eyes that I found insanely attractive. I placed a few feather-light kisses along her neck.

"You're so hot when you get into something like this" I mumbled against her skin. She giggled as I continued kissing her neck adding more pressure than before. She brought her now unburdened arm up to my head so she could lace her fingers through my hair as I started to suck on her pulse point. Her breathing rate increased and she tilted her head back to give me more access to her exposed skin. "How about…we…take advantage of…having the flat…to ourselves" I suggested between kisses, without removing my lips from her skin.

"Soph" she moaned, turning in my embrace to kiss me passionately.

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><p><strong>Sorry if you found that a bit boring! I know the book list might be a bit long but I really did try to keep it short! Also I love that architecture wuote, I think it's brilliant so I had to slip it in somewhere in the story ;)<strong>

**Thanks for reading, feel free to let me know your thoughts on the story because I love reading them ;) Also suggestions for things you would like to see happen in th estory are always welcome :) Xx**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey everyone! Sorry this took so long, I've been SUPER busy lately but I promise I'll have more frequent updates the next couple of weeks as I'm off school! I won't waffle on like I always just do, just thank you all for your amazing response as always :)**

**Don't forget to give me your thoughts on this after you read it and sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes, I got home late (went to see The Hunger Games AGAIN!) and wasn't in the mood for proof reading ;)**

**Here's chapter 15 :)**

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><p><strong>July 26<strong>**th**** 2008**

"Soph" she called lightly into my ear, "Wake up babe".

I grunted incomprehensibly, pulling the duvet closer up around my face, hoping to go back to sleep. Sian and I had kept each other up into the early hours of the morning, celebrating the fact that we now officially lived together. And by celebrating I mean we christened almost every room in the apartment….the living room twice! I was happy but I was too exhausted to get up at any reasonable hour. Considering it was Saturday I was expecting a lie in today.

"Come on Soph, wake up" she persisted, poking me in the stomach through my duvet shield.

"It's Saturday" I grumbled, attempting to roll over so I could burrow under my duvet. She foiled my attempt at seeking sanctuary from the waking world by pinning me down so I couldn't roll over.

"I know" she almost whispered. She placed a gentle kiss against my lips. "Wake up for me?" she asked, punctuating her request with another kiss. "Please?" she kissed me again. I wrapped my arms around her body through the duvet, enveloping her in the warm bedding, eliciting a giggle from her. I pulled her down so that she was lying on top of me and opened my eyes, blinking in the bright daylight. For some bizarre reason she had decided to open the shutters before waking me.

"Hi" I greeted gently with a tender kiss.

"Hey" she returned, leaning in for another sweet kiss. I could kiss her all day and never get tired of it.

"So….to what do I owe the pleasure of your wakeup call?" I asked as she shuffled down the bed slightly to cuddle into my chest, lying on top of me.

"Well, the weather is amazing today, so I was thinking we could maybe go to the beach" she answered. Although I couldn't see her face, I could almost hear her smiling as she said it.

"The beach, eh?" I said, pretending to contemplate the idea. She turned her head so that she could rest her chin on the duvet covering my chest.

"Yeh, it'll be fun!" she replied, tilting her head to kiss the underside of my chin. "Please Soph?" she mumbled against my skin.

"Well how do you expect me to say no when you ask like that?" I laughed. She squealed excitedly in response, lifting herself up so she could crash our lips together. "What beach did you have in mind?" I asked when she broke the kiss.

"Southport" she answered as though it should have been obvious.

"That's over an hour away!" I said, not liking the idea of having to make the drive.

"Yeh, but it's my favourite beach. I wanna show you all my memories there. Jane used to take me to the beach whenever our parents were fighting" Sian said, biting down on her bottom lip in a way she knew I found irresistible.

Before I had ever met her parents I was confused by their relationship. Sian had told me that she grew up with her mom and Jane in Southport and came to visit her Dad from time to time as a child because her parents had gotten divorced while she was fairly young. So when she asked me to meet them at Christmas I was confused by how close they seemed. It was only when I voiced this that Sian realised she hadn't mentioned the fact that they'd remarried after she got the all-clear from the doctors about her cancer. Apparently, the thought of losing their daughter gave them a whole new perspective of life. They carried each other through the stress of her illness and they began rebuilding their relationship and fell in love again. Just after Sian had officially recovered they had a small ceremony and remarried.

"Okay, I guess I'm driving to Southport today then!" I laughed as her hands cupped my face lovingly.

I love you" she mumbled, leaning in to kiss me again.

* * *

><p>"Sian?" I called as I walked into the living room and dumped the load I'd been carrying onto the couch. She didn't answer me but I could hear the muffled sound of her voice from the kitchen. I quickly packed the beach towels I'd found in the hot press into the bag Sian had left on the couch before making my way into the kitchen, following the sound of her voice.<p>

I found her leaning against the kitchen counter with her phone pressed to her ear. She mouth "hey" to me while she listened to the other person on the phone before pulling a silly face.

"Okay well, do you want us to pick you up or meet you there?" she asked the person on the other end of the phone. I shot her an inquisitive look, wondering who she wanted to bring to the beach with us. "Well ask him what he wants to do" she said. I crossed the kitchen and pulled a few purple grapes from the stalk in the fruit bowl, popping one in my mouth and offering one to Sian. She flashed me a smile and shook her head so I popped that grape in my mouth as well.

"Ya….. great… See you in a couple of hours then? Ya, the usual spot. Byeee" Sian finished her phone conversation and replaced the device in her pocket before moving towards me. I couldn't help but notice how great she looked in her beach outfit. Her clothes were simple but she looked amazing in the. She was wearing a short pair of denim shorts and a sleeveless orange and red tie-dye t-shirt. Her hair was plaited in a side-braid, making her look adorable.

I had opted for a far less cute outfit than Sian. I was wearing a pair of turquoise Nike basketball shorts and a plain white t-shirt. I felt a little better about my attire when I remembered that Sian had been the one to choose the shorts because she loved the colour.

"Who's coming to the beach with us?" I asked, popping another grape into my mouth.

"Jane and Henry" Sian answered as she pressed her body up against mine, pinning me to the counter. "Got any grapes left?" she asked, grinning at me as she leaned forward to kiss me.

"Perhaps" I laughed, returning the kiss. My hands came to rest at her hips and I looped my fingers through the belt loops of her shorts.

"We better get moving or we're never gonna get to the beach" she mumbled, our noses touching lightly. She went to turn away but I pulled her back using the belt loops on her shorts, eliciting a giggle from her.

"In a minute" I mumbled, leaning in for another kiss.

* * *

><p>"Turn down the next left" Sian instructed as she played with the radio, trying to find a song she liked, stopping when she heard Gavin De Graw's song <em>'In Love with a Girl'<em>. I did as she said taking the next left turn and noticed the road getting sandy. I knew we must have been getting close at this stage.

I glanced sideways at Sian, resting my hand on her leg as she moved her hand out the window and started slipping it up and down like a wave in the air speeding past the moving car. I squeezed her leg warningly. I had a thing about people sticking their hands out car windows. I thought it was just asking for trouble.

"Relax Soph, I know this road, there's no low hanging branches or owt near the road" she laughed, but brought her hand down to rest on top of the car door nonetheless.

"Thank you" I muttered, diverting my gaze back to the road in front of me. I could see a car park a few metres ahead and sighed in relief. We were finally here! I pulled up and parked beside a beat up looking, green jeep and parked my red Renault mégane coupé. Sian squealed excitedly and launched herself from the car.

The beach was quite nice actually. Nicer than I expected as any time Sian or Jane had spoken about Southport before they had both said it was _"Ten miles of sand and two inches of sea"_ but the tide was in at the moment and I couldn't help but admire the beauty of the place. I could see the pier stretching out into the water at the far end of the beach and was beginning to wonder why Sian had gotten me to prepare a picnic when I could see at least two cafes along the pier.

"Are you gonna help me with this lot or just stare at the pier?" Sian laughed, popping open the boot of my car.

"W-what?" I asked, looking back to her.

"Give us a hand here babe" she answered laughing at my dazed demeanour. There were a few people besides us on the beach but it wasn't too crowded so we were able to find quite a nice spot to set up our stuff on the sand. We had walked about five minutes after leaving getting onto the beach from the car park and set up just below the large stones that lined the beach.

Sian laid out a picnic blanket she had brought from the flat and I planted our bags down on the corner of the blanket that was nearest the stone behind us. Sian waited with our stuff while I made my way back to the car to get the cooler I had packed full of food and drink before we left.

I was grateful we hadn't walked to far down the beach as I made my way back to Sian because the cooler was ridiculously heavy. I was really starting to wonder why the hell we couldn't have just gone to one of the café's on the pier right now. When I got back to Sian she was sitting on our picnic blanket with her back resting against the giant rock behind her, reading a book.

I huffed loudly as I plonked the cooler down on the sand in front of her, sure my face would be crimson at this stage. I slumped down onto the blanket beside her, lying down and resting my head on her lap. She began absently playing with strands of my hair while she read. Once I had recovered from my trek with the cooler, I glanced up at her. She was wearing her reading glasses, which I always found attractive and she was biting down on her bottom lip. My eyes briefly skimmed over the cover of the book, wondering what had captivated such intense concentration from her. _'Winter's Bone' _by Daniel Woodrell.

"Good book?" I asked, still looking up at her through my aviators.

"Yeh, brilliant" she eventually answered. Evidently having finished her page as she slipped her book mark into the book and pushed it back into the bag she had brought with her. "Thanks for this by the way Soph" she added.

"What?" I asked, looking up at her as she continued to play with my hair.

"Bringing me to the beach. I love you, come here" She said, gesturing with her finger for me to come closer. I sat up and shuffled closer to her until there were only centimetres between our faces.

"I love you too" I mumbled as both of her hands found their way into my hair. She smiled before pulling me in for a kiss. Our lips met slowly and lovingly and moved together in perfect harmony. I twisted my body a little so that I could rest my hands on the blanket on either side of her. I felt her tongue touch my bottom lip and opened my mouth immediately so that it could meet my own.

"Oi" a familiar voice called from somewhere behind me, "this is a public beach you know, there are kids around". We broke apart, laughing as we turned to find ourselves faced with a bemused looking Jane, standing at the end of the blanket with her hands on her hips. Henry was standing behind her and I could tell he was trying desperately not to burst out laughing.

"Sorry _mom_" Sian giggled, pecking my cheek affectionately. Although I had a sneaking suspicion, she was also winding Jane up when she did it.

"Siiiaaaaannnnn" two little blond girls squealed as they came rushing towards us. I moved just in time as they threw themselves at her, hugging her as tightly as their little arms would allow.

"Hey you two" she laughed, hugging them back with almost as much enthusiasm as they had shown her.

"Mum popped round just after you rang with aunty Rachel and when they found out where we were going, Rachel asked if we'd mind taking the twins to the beach too. We couldn't say no" Jane said, as Sian finally managed to extricate herself from the death grips of the little blond girls.

"That's okay" Sian said with a massive grin on her face "It's been ages since I've last seen the identical monsters".

"Girls, this is Sophie" she said directing their attention to me, "Soph, these are my cousins, Amy and Sarah" she said pointing to them in turn.

"Hey there" I greeted cheerfully.

"Are you Sian's girlfriend?" the one on the right asked.

I glanced at Sian for confirmation before nodding and saying "Ya, I am. Nice to meet you Amy"

"I'm Sarah" she said irritably

"Sorry, Sarah" I mumbled, sheepishly.

"Girls" Jane said in a warning tone "Play fair"

They both laughed before the little girl spoke to me again, "Only joking, I am Amy"

"I'm confused" I said light-heartedly.

"Nice to meet you confused" Sarah said as they both burst into giggles again.

* * *

><p>It didn't take me long to get the hang of which was which once they had stopped messing with me and I seemed to be getting on fairly well with them as we played on the beach; tossing around the rugby ball Henry had brought along and building sandcastles.<p>

Sian was great with the kids and I loved seeing her with them. They really brought out the big kid in her. "Alright, enough sandcastles!" she announced, dropping the spade she had into the moat of the castle she and Sarah had just finished, "Last one in the water has to buy the ice-cream" she shouted, jumping up from the ground. She dropped her shorts to reveal her bikini bottom but left her t-shirt on. I didn't need to ask why.

"Not fair" the twins cried out as Sian started running down the beach towards the water. I quickly pulled off my shorts and t-shirt to reveal my bikini and Henry pulled his t-shirt up over his head. We tossed them back towards the blanket as Jane and the twins started running after Sian.

"Get the twins" he suggested as we ran after them all. We quickly caught up to Jane and the girls. Henry scooped Sarah up and carried her towards the water as I did the same with Amy, over-taking Jane. Henry made it to the water before me, crashing into it with a big splash. I followed suit, making sure I kept hold of the four year old in my arms as I did so.

As I stood up again, the twins and Sian were laughing their heads off at Henry and me. "Jane's buying the ice-cream" Amy yelled as she jumped out of my arms into the water.

"Again again" Sarah squealed at Henry. He lifted her up and tossed her into the water with another large splash.

"Me too" Amy said, putting her arms up for me to lift her. I imitated what Henry had just done, to the joy of both the twins and Sian. We messed around in the water until evening fell and it started getting a bit colder.

"Who's hungry?" Sian called to the group at large as she splashed some water at me.

"Meeeee" the twins squealed happily.

"Come on then, Sophie's made us a picnic" she said.

The twins started racing back up the beach as soon as they got out of the water, followed enthusiastically by Jane and Henry.

Sian and I took our time, walking back towards the blankets hand-in-hand. By the time we reached the blankets, the twins had pulled everything from the cooler and Jane was trying to organise the mess they'd made.

"Looks amazing Soph" Sian giggled, turning on the spot so she could pull me in for a kiss.

"Ewww kissing" Sarah laughed, making us all laugh a little.

* * *

><p>We took turns, drying off and changing back into our clothes behind the wind breaker that Jane had brought with her before tucking into the picnic.<p>

"Can we bury Henry?" Sarah asked mischeviously as she finished her food.

"Ya, can we?" Amy chirped.

"I think we should" Jane laughed, getting up and grabbing the girls' buckets and spades.

When they had managed to bury Henry I suggested they turn him into a mermaid which thrilled the four year olds to no end.

"Can I get up now?" he asked as I finished off making his tail.

"Not just yet" I said as I drew scales into the sand of the tail with my finger, "There done"

"Take a picture Sian" Amy said poking a little hole into the sand covering Henry's stomach to make a bellybutton for the mermaid.

Sian pulled her phone from her sports bag and took a picture of Henry the mermaid. When she was satisfied with the photo, Henry rose up out of the sand, pretending to be a monster and chased the little girls around the beach in front of us.

* * *

><p>Henry and Jane were sorting out Sarah and Amy for the journey home. The little girls were worn out after their big exciting day at the beach. I was too if I'm honest but I had enjoyed it immensely.<p>

I was sitting on the sand now as the blankets had been packed away. The tide was changing and I was watching the waves crashing against the shore. The sun was setting and I had pulled a hoody on over my shorts. My Ray Bans were perched snuggly on top of my head. Sian was sitting on the sand beside me. My arm was wrapped around her waist as her head rested on my shoulder.

"Thanks so much for today babe, it was amazing" she said as we watched the sun setting over the water. Jane and Henry had said their goodbyes and taken the exhausted toddlers back to their car.

"No problem. I enjoyed it as much as you did" I said, resting my head on top of hers.

"You're amazing, you know that" she mumbled.

"All I did was drive us here. It was your idea to come to the beach" I reminded her.

"I meant with the kids an' all. You were great with them Soph and they loved you" she said, cuddling into me a bit more.

"Ya well, I enjoyed spending time with them" I replied honestly. "Come on, it's getting cold, we should head back". I stood up and turned to help her up from the sand.

"I love you Sophie Webster" she said, giving me a chaste kiss.

"I love you too" I answered, "Always".

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><p><strong>There we have it! Hope you liked it and all your thoughts are warmly welcomed ;) Hopefully I'll have the next chapter posted by Thursday evening (fingers crossed) Xx<strong>


	16. Chapter 16

**Okay, so I'm just not going to promise when these will be posted anymore...seriously! Cause anytime I do something gets in the way :P This time it was two very good things getting in the way, the first being my best friend was home from college so I was spending as much time as possible with her before she goes back and the second being my granny came home from hospital :D So happy right now :D**

**Anyway, enough excuses, Thank you for the positive repsonse to the last post! As always, it's the response to them that make this worth it for me me! Now, this chapter was a very rushed thing and I kind of hate it...well actually there's no kind of about it, I do hate it! But I'm hoping you won't and I promise to put more thought into the next chapter which will be posted asap!**

**Here's chapter 16**

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><p><strong>July 28<strong>**th**** 2008**

I refilled my drink at the kitchen counter, listening to the buzz of the people and the music. Even in a crowd I could pick out Sian's giggle over the hum of conversations that wafted through the flat. I smirked and reached for the bottle of white wine on the counter so I could get a refill for her and Katy too.

I pushed my way through the people in the kitchen and made my way out to the living room, so I could re-join Katy and Sian over by the balcony door. Katy and Chesney had decided to throw a flat-warming party. It had started around eight and now after ten, the party was in full swing. As I pushed through the crowd I noticed a flash of cherry red in my peripheral vision. I quickly snapped my head round in time to see that my suspicions were right. I hadn't seen that colour hair in such a long time but sure enough, there she was, disappearing into the kitchen behind some brunette I didn't recognise.

Trying to shake the thought from my head, I finished my journey across Katy and Chesney's living room. _It's not an uncommon hair colour is it?_ Surely Katy would never have invited _her_ to a party. I thought we'd managed to get rid of _her._ I handed Sian and Katy the drinks I'd brought them. "Cheers babe" Sian said, taking the glass from me and pecking my cheek.

"Yeh, cheers Soph" Katy said, taking the one I offered her. "Only I won't kiss your cheek cause I think Sian might get a bit jealous" she joked.

They both giggled at Katy's humour but I merely offered a smirk, unable to surface from my thoughts. It must have shown on my face because Sian asked "What's up Soph?"

"Um, nothing" I muttered.

"Uh, something" she said, brushing her thumb across my furrowed brow.

"Katy…I thought I saw…. Nevermind" I said, shaking my head as though it would toss the notion from my head. It couldn't have been _her._

"Thought you saw what?" Katy pressed the matter, looking at me with concern.

"It's just… I thought I saw…Larissa" I said, slowly. Katy nearly choked on her drink.

"Yeh..I…um meant to…." She spluttered, coughing as the wine went down the wrong way. "I meant to tell you. She's here with one of Chesney's work mates. I swear though Soph, I didn't know she was coming until they arrived at the door. She got here about an hour ago, I was hoping you wouldn't really have to deal with her" she offered apologetically.

"Who's Larissa?" Sian asked, noticing the tense shift in the atmosphere between Katy and I.

"She's psychotic" Katy and I said in unison, causing Sian to shoot us both quizzical looks.

"She's an ex of Sophie's" Katy began.

"We only went out for like a month before she got really possessive and needy. She didn't like me being around other people, wanted me all to herself. Like, she'd get jealous at the thought of me living with Katy cause she thought Katy fancied me. She asked me to move in with her after we'd only been going out three weeks. I couldn't deal with the way she was with me so I dumped her" I explained.

"Yeh, but she did go a bit stalkerish after that. She kept trying to win Sophie back, claiming they were meant to be. Eventually, she gave up but not until after Soph had to tell her where to go" Katy added.

"Well, she's with someone else now so she shouldn't be a problem for you babe" Sian said, glancing around as though she expected someone to be listening in on our conversation.

"Mmm, lets try and forget about all that and just enjoy the party" I said, finishing off my drink and placing the glass down on the window sill at the side of the balcony door. "Dance?" I asked, holding out my hand to Sian.

"Definatly" she answered, placing her glass down beside mine before taking my proffered hand.

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><p>We'd been dancing for the best part of forty minutes now and I could sense someone watching us. I didn't need to ask who. Sian didn't seem to have noticed though, so I didn't say anything. AS the song we were dancing to came to an end, Sian stilled her movements. "Do you wanna get a drink babe?" she asked.<p>

"ya, it's a bit stuffy in here" I answered as she took my hand and lead me to the kitchen so we could get the drinks.

She grabbed me a can of pear cider from the fridge and poured herself a fresh glass of wine. "You look a bit warm, do you wanna step out on the balcony? Get some air?" she asked as she handed me my drink.

"Ya, sounds good" I said. She took my hand in hers again and we made our way through the crowd in the living room and out onto the balcony. It was the same size as the one in mine and Sian's flat. Small, but not too small. I was happy to find we were alone outside.

We chatted for a bit and had finished our drinks when I noticed Sian looked cold. She was shivering slightly. She was wearing a sleeveless maxi dress so I could see why. I had gone for a more casual look. Without a word I took off my leather jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Aww, you're so sweet Soph" she mumbled, leaning in to kiss me briefly before she pulled back and slipped her arms into the jacket sleeves.

One of her hands came to rest on my hip while the other found its way into my hair as she pulled me in for another kiss. I couldn't resist smiling into the kiss as I mirrored her position. The kiss grew more and more passionate as she pushed me back against the railing of the balcony and I slipped my tongue into her mouth.

Sian broke the kiss first but she didn't pull away. Instead, she left a trail of kisses along my jawline, making her way down to my neck. Both of my hands slid into her golden locks and I couldn't restrain the small whimper that escaped my lips as she began sucking my pulse point while one of her hands was playing with the hem of my top.

I nearly groaned in frustration when she pulled back. She leaned in until her lips were almost touching my ear before whispering in her most seductive tone "How about I grab our bags and we continue this at home?"

She had quite literally rendered me speechless so it was all I could do to nod in response. I watched her walk into the flat with a sexy swing of her hips before turning to look out at the city lights to wait for her return once she'd gone.

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><p>Less than a minute later, I heard the balcony door open again. "That was quick" I said turning around. Only it wasn't Sian I found standing in front of me. It was <em>her<em>. "What are you doing here?" I asked with a hint of venom in my tone.

"I just want to talk to you Soph" she replied.

"Well I have nothing to say to you. And don't call me that" I snarled back.

"Please listen Sophie. I just want to say I'm sorry for the way I behaved after we split up. I shouldn't have made things so difficult for you" Larissa said, moving closer. I took a step back as she stepped forward and my back collided with the balcony railing.

"Difficult? You fucking stalked me!" I said, starting to get a bit fired up.

"I know, I'm sorry. I was in a really bad place back then. But it was two years ago, I'm a different person now" she said, taking another step forward. She was getting too close for comfort and I subconsciously crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm with James now and I'm happy. I saw you here tonight and I was thinking maybe we could try and put the past behind us. Maybe even be friends?"

"You and I will never be friends Larissa. We will never be anything" I said, my tone quiet but stern.

"Don't be like that Soph" she replied, taking another small step forward.

"I told you don't call me that and can you give me a bit of space please" I made to side step her but she put her hands down on the railing on either side of me. "Move. Now" I snapped angrily.

"Don't be like that babe" she whispered, before launching herself at me, trying to kiss me.

"Oi! What the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked, trying to push her off. She grabbed my face and tried to kiss me again.

"Sophie? What the hell is going on here?" It was Sian. She was standing at the balcony door with our bags in her hands and I was standing on the balcony with another girl in my hands. I knew how it must look and I felt sick.

"Do you mind giving us a bit of privacy love?" Larissa asked obnoxiously.

"Larissa shut up. Sian she just threw herself at me. I swear, I never…" I began, feeling the tears prickling threateningly at the back of my eyes.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sian said, marching out onto the balcony, dropping the bags as she went, until she was face-to-face with Larissa.

"What's it to you?" Larissa said, clutching onto the front of my top with a death grip, for fear of me escaping.

"Well for starters, you happen to be digging your scummy little paws into my girlfriend!" Sian growled, squaring up to the fiery red-head in front of her. "So I suggest you back off. NOW!"

"You don't scare me. Sophie is mine, what would she want with a little blond slut like you?" Larissa countered, turning away from me at last.

"Don't you dare speak to her like that" I shouted, side-stepping her at last.

"Listen here you creepy little stalker, if you EVER, come near MY girlfriend again, you'll wish you'd never been born. Got it?" Sian snarled, her eyes burning into the girl infront of her.

"Yeh right, what are you gonna do?" Larissa smirked.

Sian drew her arm back and slapped Larissa right across her cheek with enough force to ensure she left a red hand print on the other girls' skin. Larissa was momentarily stunned and gripped her cheek in apparent shock. "Come on Sophie, we're leaving" Sian said, turning on the spot and marching back into Katy and Chesney's flat.

I quickly stooped to pick up the bags Sian had dropped before following her through the flat. She didn't say a word as we walked up the corridor together and I could almost feel the anger radiating from her.

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><p>"Sian" I mumbled, quietly as she took her bag from me and began searching for her door key. She ignored me, pulling her key from her bag and letting us into our flat. "Sian please, I never… she just threw herself at me…please I just…" I pleaded, working myself up and trying desperately to fight the tears that were threatening to fall. "I would never, ever, do that to you. I love you so much" the tears finally fell, streaming down my face. She still hadn't said anything as we made our way into the flat, dropping our bags on the couch and walking down the hall towards our bedroom.<p>

It wasn't until we were in the bedroom that she finally turned around to look at me. Her anger seemed to dissipate slightly when she noticed the state of hysteria I'd worked myself into.

"Soph" she murmured softly, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around me gently. "I know you wouldn't, okay? I just saw her with you and I saw red. I know she came onto to you, I could see you didn't want her from your reaction. I'm just mad after seeing her like that" she explained, rubbing my back soothingly.

I sniffed pathetically, trying to stop myself from crying but I couldn't. "I'm so sorry Sian. I love you" I sobbed.

"I know. You don't need to be sorry, I love you too" she mumbled into my hair. "Let's just go to bed, yeh?"

I nodded in agreement, feeling pathetic but I still couldn't stop crying.

I felt a little better when we were in bed and Sian wrapped her arms around me from behind. It felt reassuring to have her hold me, knowing she wasn't angry with me for what had happened.

I had never loved anyone like I loved Sian. The gravity of how much I really needed her terrified me but the thought of not needing her scared me ten times more. I felt the need to confess this to her that night. We spoke in hushed tones for what felt like hours, until eventually we had talked ourselves out and we fell asleep holding each other.

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><p><strong>Well, there you have it. Hope you didn't find it too bad! As always, your opinions are greatly valued by me, so please let me know what you though :)<strong>


	17. Chapter 17

**Greetings folks! Okay, so I know I've been MIA for quite some time now, But that was due (as I may have mentioned before) to the fact that i was repeating my leaving cert! So I needed to take some time away from writing to study for my exams! Anywho, if anyone can still remember this story, my exams are over now (I think they went well! fingerscrossed) so I intend to finish what I started! To those of you still interested, I can't thank you enough for your patience! The end of this was kinda rushed so I hope it isn't to bad, also I haven't proof read the chapter so sorry for any mistakes :P**

**Here's Chapter 17 :)**

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><p><strong>August 13<strong>**th**** 2008**

I fought my way through the crowd of people that were swarming in the opposite direction. I was running late. I had run from the car park and was out of breath at this stage but I refused to slow down. People were staring at me as I ran full pelt across the white floor towards the plastic seats I could see in the distance. I hoped I could still beat her to the gate but knew that hope was unrealistic as I raced passed the people pushing luggage away from the arrivals gate.

I slowed my pace slightly as the gate came into full view in front of me. There she was. Standing there with her luggage and a smirk on her face as she took in the state I was in as I approached her, jumping over the plastic seats rather than going around them. She looked as gorgeous as ever. I was still panting from sprinting through the airport as I finally reached her.

"I'm late, I'm so sorry Sian! Traffic was mad and I…" I began explaining myself but she cut me off with a kiss. My eyelids fluttered shut and my arms found their way around her waist as our lips moved harmoniously together.

Sian broke the kiss first, keeping our foreheads pressed together. "I missed you" she mumbled, pecking my lips sweetly.

"I missed you too" I answered, kissing her chastely. Sian had been in Ireland for the past week. She had gone to visit her grandparents in the west of Ireland with Jane. I couldn't even begin to explain how much I'd missed her. Despite the fact I had talked to her every night on the phone, that week had felt like an eternity! She had asked me to come with her but Jeremy had been a prick about it and wouldn't give me the time off work.

After breaking the kiss, I embraced her in a tight hug, taking in the heavenly scent of her shampoo. "Come on, let's get you home" I mumbled into her hair before pulling out of the hug. I grabbed her suitcase as we began walking towards the airport's exit.

"Such a gentlewoman" she laughed, lifting her carry-on bag and following me towards the car park.

"Not really, you're just slow when you're carrying a suitcase and I need to get you home as quick as possible" I joked, earning me a giggle and a playful slap to the arm.

"Goof" she muttered, catching up enough to kiss my cheek.

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><p><strong>August 14<strong>**th**** 2008**

The screech of my alarm clock woke me with a start. I smacked the snooze button aggressively before slumping my face down into my pillow again. I inhaled deeply before turning my head around to face Sian's side of the bed.

She was facing away from me, rubbing her eyes tiredly. One of her arms wrapped around her torso, holding the duvet against her front, but it had slipped down her back exposing her perfect skin when I moved away from her to turn off the alarm clock. I smiled remembering the reason why we were so tired this morning. After we had gotten home from the airport yesterday, we had retreated to our bedroom to become reacquainted with each other and show how much we missed one another.

I sighed contently as I slid across the bed towards Sian. Instead of wrapping my arms around her once more however, I slid down the bed a little so that my eyes were in line with the skin of her lower back. Smirking to myself, I leaned forward to press a kiss to her lower back. She hummed contently, obviously having been woken by the alarm, less than a minute earlier. I trailed kisses up her back until I reached her shoulder. I nipped it lightly and soothed the skin with my tongue.

She turned to face me, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Well good morning to you too" she said, leaning up to kiss my lips.

"Do you know what today is?" I asked, returning her kiss. I could feel her smiling against my lips which in turn made me smile.

"Of course I do" she mumbled against my lips, placing light kisses to my lips every few seconds.

"I can't believe it's been a whole year since that train journey" I whispered, sliding one of my arms around her body.

"I love you" she whispered, pulling me in for a passionate kiss. Our breathing was getting heavier and the kiss more heated. I parted my lips immediately when I felt her tongue brush lightly against my bottom lip and it slipped inside my mouth to dance with my own.

We both jumped in fright when the alarm went off again. "Bloody snooze" Sian giggled. I crawled across the bed to turn it off this time before sitting up on the mattress, looking at her in awe.

"Come back" she said quietly, reaching out a hand towards me. I shook my head playfully. "Please?" she added, pouting, making a smile break out across my face. I crawled back over to her, placing my hands on the mattress on either side of her head. Her hands reached up, locking at the back of my neck.

"We need to get up" I mumbled.

"Why? We both have the day off work" she replied coyly.

"I might have something planned for today" I answered playfully.

"What is it? I thought we were just going to hang out here today and the go for a meal tonight?" she asked eagerly.

"That was just the decoy plan so you wouldn't get suspicious of my plan" I said, smirking down at her.

"What have you planned?" she questioned excitedly. She was as giddy as a child on Christmas morning.

"It's a surprise" I teased.

"Aw Soph, you know I can't stand surprises! Just tell me!" she whined.

"No chance! I've been planning this for ages, I'm not telling you" I said, knowing the wondering would already be driving her mad. "Come get up and get ready"

"If I don't know where I'm going, I won't know what I should wear so you should tell me…so I know what to wear" she tried, pouting again.

"Dress casual" I answered, refusing to be broken, smirking triumphantly at her. She was not going to win this one.

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><p>"How about I drive?" Sian suggested as I finished packing up the car and slammed the boot shut. Sian had recently passed her driving test. Something she was immensely proud of. She also liked to point out that she couldn't have done it without my help as I was the one who taught her how to drive. We had celebrated with a big night out after she passed the test on her first try.<p>

"Nice try, but then I'd have to tell you where we're going" I laughed, walking to the passenger door and holding it open for her. "Come on, get in" I added, slapping her bum as she passed me to get into the car.

"You're very bossy today" She grumbled as I sat into the driver's seat and pulled on my seatbelt.

"You're just annoyed because I won't tell you where we're going" I pointed out, flashing her a knowing smile.

"Perhaps" she shot back, leaning across the car to kiss me briefly before I started the car.

Sian was relentless in trying to figure out where I was taking her as I drove. She was like a child asking "are we there yet", except she had much more effective methods. I began to regret my outfit choice as I drove down the motorway. I had opted to wear a floaty, V-neck t-shirt over a tribal print skirt. Sian's hand was resting on my left knee as it so often did when we sat near each other.

"Please tell me!" she pleaded for the umpteenth time. I merely shook my head, keeping my eyes focused on the road, sure that if I looked at her she would pull the puppy dog look. She leaned across and rested her head on my left shoulder. I could feel her watching me but I refused to cave. Then I noticed the movement of her hand. It had somehow made its way under the hem of my skirt and her fingers were tracing tantalising circles just above my knee

"Stoppit" I mumbled, becoming more and more turned on by the second. We were nearly at the first stop of our journey and there was no way in hell was going to cave so soon.

"Stop… what?" she whispered mischievously, placing a kiss to the underside of my jaw from her position on my shoulder, her hand movement's never-ceasing.

"You k-know what" I answer, trying to keep my voice steady but as her hand slips a little higher up my thigh, I can't suppress the gasp that escapes my lips.

"I don't know what you mean" she whispered seductively, her fingers dancing a few centimetres further up my thigh.

"Sian, seriously, you need to stop or I'm going to crash this car. We're almost there, I promise" I grunted. She stopped her hand's movements, sliding it back down my thigh. I wasn't completely off the hook though. She kept her hand on my knee underneath the hem of my skirt. "You. Are. Cruel." I muttered, smirking as I turned off the motorway, taking the exit to the train station.

"Mm I know, but you love me anyway" she whispered against my skin, placing another kiss to the underside of my jaw.

"Yes I do" I answered with small laugh.

"Wait" she said abruptly sitting up straight in her seat "Is this the road down to the train station? Are we taking a train somewhere?" she asked excitement evident in the ever rising pitch of her voice.

I couldn't stop the grin from spreading across my face as I answered, "Perhaps".

"Awwwww, babe you're so cute! That's such a romantic idea" she cooed as I turned into the car park outside the train station.

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><p>Twenty minutes later, we had parked and unloaded the car, collected our tickets from the disgruntled, middle-aged woman behind the ticket desk and were waiting on the platform for the train.<p>

I got up from my seat and cross the platform to glance down the tracks, checking my watch when I couldn't see our train yet. "Babe, relax" Sian whispered in my ear, sliding her arms around my waist from behind.

"Sorry" I mumbled, leaning back against her as she kissed my cheek. "Finally" I added when I spotted the train coming around the bend in the track at the opposite end of the station.

"You never were the most patient person were you?" Sian giggled, grabbing our bags from the bench behind us.

As the train pulled up at the platform, Sian grabbed my hand and we boarded the first carriage, easily finding the reserved seats we'd been allocated when I booked online.

I couldn't help but stare at the beautiful woman in front of me as the train began to pull away, thinking of how far we'd come since this time last year. Her blond hair was glinting in the sunlight that filtered through the train window. There was a small smile playing across her lips as she held my hand across the small plastic table, playing with my fingers. I loved moments like this, where we could just be together. We didn't need to say anything; the silence was comfortable because we could just be.

The smile on her face grew. Her face was still directed towards my hand in hers but her eyes flicked up to look at my face. "What?" she laughed, lifting her head to face me.

I simply smiled and shook my head. "Goof" she said, sticking her tongue out at me.

The train journey seemed to pass very quickly. We spent most of the time, slipping in and out of easy conversations and reminiscing about that fateful day a year ago. Sian seemed to have forgotten about bugging me to find out where I was taking her, just enjoying the journey. Before we knew it we'd reached our stop; Paddington station in London.

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><p>My surprise for Sian on the anniversary of the day we met was to take her shopping in London for the day, followed by dinner in a very fancy restaurant before taking her out dancing. We stayed in a decent hotel in London that night, exchanging the gifts we'd gotten each other despite having previously agreed we wouldn't buy presents for the occasion. Sian got me a beautiful silver necklace. It had a delicate heart at the end of the long chain. She'd had our initials engraved along the side of the heart. I had gotten her another charm for the bracelet I'd bought her for her 24th birthday; a silver charm that spelled the word one. She was gathering quite the collection of charms at this stage, including two different book charms that Jane and I had bought her separately for the one year anniversary of her getting the all clear for the cancer. All-in-all, it was an amazing one year anniversary celebration.<p>

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><p><strong>And there you have it! Hope you enjoyed!<strong>

**As always, your opinions of the update are warmly welcomed and appreciated! BUt please be gentle as i'm a little rusty on the writing front ;)**

**Provided the interest is still out there... I'll try to have teh next update posted before Sunday Xx**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys! Sorry this took so long to post but I really struggled writing this chapter (As I tend to do considering I'm new to these sorts of scenes :P) It's also a little shorter than usual so I suppose I should apologise for that aswell! **

**I hope ye like this one cause for once I'm actually happy with what I've written! :O The first part of this chapter was inspired by Snow Patrol's song 'Crack the Shutters' so I would suggest listening to the song while you read it :)**

**As always thanks for the amazing response to the last chapter! It's what keeps me writing these updates! I'm looking forward to your thoughts on this one! Here's hoping you like it!**

**WARNING; CONTAINS THEMES OF AN ADULT NATURE!**

**Disclaimer; I do not own the character's or the song! No matter how much I wish I did!**

**P.S. AS always, the dates in the chapters are important as they tell you how much time has passed since that fateful train journey! ;) And please note, Italics in this chapter represent Sophie's dream!**

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><p><strong>September 14<strong>**th**** 2008**

'_I was at the beach. I could hear the waves crashing against the shore. The sun was setting and I had pulled a hoody on over my shorts. My Ray Bans were perched snuggly on top of my head. Sian was sitting on the sand beside me. My arm was wrapped around her waist as her head rested on my shoulder'_

I gasped as a cold sensation on my cheeks pulled me from the dream I'd been having. My mind was not yet fully awake and I kept my eyes closed. I recognised the cold feeling on my cheeks.

Sian had found a very effective method for waking me up recently. She would cool her hands down on the broken radiator in our bedroom. The bloody thing had been broken since last February! Once she was sure her hands were freezing cold, she'd make her way over to the bed and press them against my face, just as she had done now.

"Later" I mumbled sleepily, trying to pull the blankets that had slid down to my waist closer to myself as I did so. I didn't really want her to stop though, I never would and she knew it.

"No later" she whispered playfully as she ran her freezing hands from my neck to my chest. I groaned groggily as I rolled onto me side, flipping the pillow over to the cold side as I did so. My eyes still hadn't opened as I felt the mattress compress behind me.

My bleary eyes flickered open as I felt her warm lips kiss my shoulder. She continued to do this until I rolled over onto my back to face her. We paused for a moment to just look into each other's eyes before she swung one of her legs over my body so she was straddling me.

"Good morning" she greeted, leaning down to kiss my lips sweetly.

"Morning" I mumbled in reply, rubbing my eyes, trying to block out the rays of sunlight that were filtering into the room through the half open shutters of the window. "Why do you always open the shutters?" I groaned as I continued to rub my eyes childishly.

"Because" was the only reply I got before she kissed me once more. She sat up and I took my hands away from my eyes to be met with an intense, loving gaze from her that seemed to suggest this is where she belonged. I couldn't suppress the small smile that spread across my lips as I gazed up at her. I had found a new appreciation for the fact that she had cracked the shutters as I returned her loving gaze, completely in awe of the way that the rays of sunlight tangled up around Sian's face and body.

She was truly beautiful.

I pushed myself up on my elbows to capture her lips in a passionate kiss before falling back onto the mattress with her on top of me. She held back for a couple of moments before she allowed me to deepen the kiss. Our eyes slid shut and our tongues explored each other's mouths as though it was the first time all over again.

Eventually we broke the kiss, in need of air, keeping our eyes closed and our foreheads pressed together. Sian opened her eyes first and then sat up, pulling me up into a sitting position with her. She pulled my tank top up over my head tantalisingly slowly before pushing me back down again. She embraced me in another passionate kiss but swiftly broke it once more to trail kisses along my jawline and down my neck. She kissed her way down my body, stopping only to pay a few minutes of attention to my breasts before continuing her way down.

She paused briefly just below my bellybutton, glancing up at me lovingly before leaving a trail of kisses along the edge of my knickers. "Please Sian" I whimpered, the tension that had been building since my rather pleasant awakening beginning to become too much.

I felt her smile against my skin as she kissed the inside of my thigh before pulling off my underwear. She took a few moments more to tease me, kissing my inner thighs, driving me more insane by the second.

I gasped and arched my back off the bed as I felt her enter me with her tongue. I gripped the bars of the headboard tightly as I felt her tongue brush over my sensitive bundle of nerves. My breathing had become heavy and shallow.

"Come up here" I managed to gasp out after a few minutes, trying to hold back from releasing the pent up tension in my body. Sian didn't respond but kissed her way back up my body until she reached my lips. In what felt like a matter of seconds I had removed her clothes. She pulled me up into a sitting position with her once more only this time she wrapped her legs loosely around my waist.

We kissed passionately again as her fingers skimmed lightly across my skin. My intrepid fingers mapped out all the hills and valleys of her body as they made the journey down to her centre. We entered each other simultaneously, immediately picking up a steady rhythm.

The next few minutes were filled with breathless moans and kisses. As I felt her muscles begin to tighten around my fingers, I pulled back from the kiss we were engaged in, glancing quickly at her body to once more take in the breath taking sight of the sunlight tangled up around her face and body before pressing our foreheads together once more. My thumb grazed her sensitive nub one final time before she let out a final moan of pleasure, burying her face in my shoulder. I followed her almost immediately, whimpering her name as she brought me to the height of ecstasy.

We remained wrapped up in each other as we came down from our incredible highs. She wrapped her arms around my neck, keeping her face buried in my shoulder as she placed feather light kisses against my neck. "I love you" I whispered as I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her hair, inhaling the sweet scent of her mandarin shampoo and the intoxicating scent that was unique to Sian.

"I love you too" she mumbled against the skin of my neck before kissing it again.

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><p><strong>March 16<strong>**th**** 2009**

I was in the kitchen, in the middle of cooking a sea food stir fry for dinner, hoping to have it ready as Sian got in from work. She had mentioned she had a meeting with her boss today about her first solo project for the company and she was dreading it so I'd promised her a nice meal when she got back.

I heard her key in the lock just as I was plating up the food. I couldn't help but feel proud of my excellent timing.

I listened to the familiar sounds of her dropping her bag on the floor beside the table at the door and dropping her keys into the bowl on the table. Nothing sounded out of the ordinary until I heard her call out my name. Despite her being in the next room, I could tell from her voice that she was crying.

Immediately I rushed from the kitchen to the living room. "Sian?" I asked as I passed through the door. She launched herself at me immediately, wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing me passionately. I could taste the tears on her lips and feel the wetness of her cheeks.

"Babe, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" I asked, pulling out of the kiss but wrapping my arms around her.

"Nothing's wrong Soph, they're happy tears" she laughed, a couple more tears sliding down her cheek.

A small smile spread across my lips as I tenderly wiped the tears from her cheeks with the pads of my thumbs. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?" I asked in a quiet voice, pecking her lips and the tip of her nose.

"Well" she laughed, "You know how I had that meeting with Paul today about the project I just finished?". I nodded for her to continue as I brought my hand back to her face to wipe away a remaining stray tear. I hated to see her cry.

"He loved the work I did! He was raving about it when I met with him this evening! He was going on about how much promise I'd shown since I started, especially for such a young architect, and now, he's offered me a promotion" She reeled excitedly.

"I can't believe it, Sian that's amazing, I'm so proud of you" I squealed, lifting her into my arms and spinning her around.

She kissed me passionately once more, her hands sliding up into my hair. After a few minutes she broke the kiss but kept our foreheads pressed together. "This is so exciting! He's making me the head architect on a project for this new contracting project and I get my own team and everything" she gushed excitedly.

"That's amazing. You deserve it Sian, you work so hard. You're amazing" I replied kissing her briefly on the lips. "What do you want to do to celebrate? This is huge, we need to do something" I asked.

"I have an idea" she mumbled mischievously, sucking her bottom lip under her teeth in a suggestive manner.

"I think that sounds like an excellent idea" I giggled, embracing her in another passionate kiss. As we deepened the kiss, I lifted her and she wrapped her legs around my waist, her hands tangling further into my hair. She let out an adorable giggle as I started walking down the hall to our bedroom, forgetting completely about the dinner I had laid out for us on the kitchen table.

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><p><strong>There you have it! Chapter 18! I can't believe I've actually written 18 chapters! :O<strong>

**Anyways, as always, your thoughts are greatly appreciated! I'll have chapter 19 up asap! Xx**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey guys! As usual I will apologise for the wait! I am very grateful for the support tha last chapter recieved as always, it's that response that keeps me writing! ;) Anywho, this little Author note won't be as long as usual! I only want to let you know that this is the penultimate update of Freedom's Not For Me! I'm going on holidays next week and plan on having the final chapter up before I leave :)**

**This chapter is almost completely word for word from the original version, I just bulked it up a little!**

**I will at this point encourage you to read the introduction of the story in chapter one again if you have not done so recently and I would also advise listening to the song mentioned in this chapter as it's beautiful!**

**And I'm going to shut up now and let you get on with reading the chapter :)**

**As always, your response is graciously accepted and eagerly anticipated so don't forget to let me know what you think!**

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><p><strong>December 11<strong>**th**** 2009**

It was winter. And the weather was letting us know it. It had started snowing last Tuesday and the icy glitter was still falling relentlessly from the sky. Although it was early, people were already getting into the Christmas spirit.

It had been two years and nearly four months since that hot August day when I had met Sian on the train. We had been living together for over a year now. I still worked at the lemon grass as a sous chef. Sian was moving up in her career and was now the head architect on a design team for one of the biggest contractors in Manchester.

It was Friday night and we were queuing for ice-skating at a rink that had been set up along with the Christmas market stalls. "It's f-freezing!" Sian mumbled, her teeth chattering as I wrapped my arms around her.

"It's snowing, what did you expect?" I laughed.

Her face was a picture of pure shock when we got to the front of the queue and I surprised her by telling her I'd booked us the ice rink for just the two of us for twenty minutes. She quickly forgot about how cold it was as she gleefully pulled me out onto the ice. Sian loved ice skating. She was a natural at it whereas I struggled to go five minutes without falling. She could literally skate circles around me.

Fifteen minutes on the ice had passed before I had managed to talk myself up to what I had been planning to do for weeks now. Even after having known her for so long, she still made me nervous. "Sian, can you come over here for a second please?" I asked.

She skated over to me gracefully, her shoulder length blond hair swishing elegantly behind her. "This is amazing! I love you" she said, embracing me in a hug. It was all I could do to smile at her as a swarm of butterflies attacked my stomach.

"Sian… I love you… And these passed two years with you have been the best of my life" I wanted to keep this as short and simple as possible because I knew she hated cheesy clichés. It was one of the many things I loved about her. "Will you marry me?" I nervously got the words out as I pulled a small velvet box from my pocket.

I didn't even have a chance to open the ring box for her as she squealed excitedly, jumping onto me. I just about had time to register the fact that she had wrapped her arms around my neck before we both landed on the ice. "Is that a yes then?" I asked, looking up at her.

"Of course" she giggled, leaning in to kiss me.

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><p><strong>August 14<strong>**th**** 2010**

It was the third anniversary of that fateful train journey to Manchester.

Our wedding day.

Sian looked beautiful. Her long blond hair was half up, half down and curled perfectly. Her make-up was simple and natural looking. The strapless, figure hugging, white dress was perfect on her, emphasising her pure beauty.

We had booked a hotel in the Manchester countryside for both the ceremony and the reception. Luckily, the August weather didn't disappoint and it was as sunny as it had been the day we met. The service was beautiful. We had a small ceremony in a beautiful garden outside the hotel. We kept the guest list small; Only our families and closest friends were invited. So Sian and I stood in front of about thirty people, declaring our undying love for each other and promising to love and to cherish each other for the rest of our lives. A promise neither of us had any difficulty making.

I knew this was it for me. No one else would ever measure up to Sian in my eyes. No one else would ever come close. We had just said our 'I do's' and I got lost looking at her. She looked amazing. She was looking down at our entwined hands and a couple of strands of hair were falling down onto her face. Despite this, I could see the huge smile on her face and the tears of happiness welling in her eyes. I knew my face probably mirrored hers in that moment.

"You may kiss" I heard the minister announce, snapping me out of my Sian induced trance as he officially declared us a married couple in front of our loved ones.

Sian released an elated giggle as she turned to me, the tears of happiness that had been welling in her eyes finally escaping to roll down her cheeks. "I love you Sophie" she mumbled as she leaned in and pressed her lips against mine. The crowd erupted into applause as we kissed and I heard Rosie, my sister and maid of honour, wolf whistle from somewhere behind me.

We broke the kiss, keeping our foreheads pressed together and our eyes closed, "I love you too" I whispered breathlessly, embracing the feeling of pure happiness, that was swelling like a balloon, in my chest.

As the guests dispersed, making their way inside to take their seats for the meal, we posed for pictures in the beautiful grounds of the hotel. The photographer took shots of us with my parents, with Sian's parents, with both parents, with our sisters, with the bridesmaids, more group shots of all of us and even more pictures of Sian and me. He showed us some of the shots as he went along and I had already picked out my favourite before he was even half way through capturing the memories of our big day. It was a picture of just the two of us, sitting on a small stone bench in the garden. The shot was angled so that the pink lilies of the garden hung in the foreground, obscuring our figures ever so slightly, as though hiding a precious moment between us. Our knees were turned towards each other and our hands were entwined on Sian's lap as she kissed my cheek. I was already thinking of places where I could place the framed version of this photo in our apartment.

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><p>The meal was great. We sat in the centre of a long table with our parents and bridesmaids on either side of us. The rest of our guests were seated on smaller round tables, arranged in a sort of semi-circle in front of our table. Sian and I were chatting excitedly as the main course was delivered. I had decided on the fish mains; Oven baked salmon on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes in a white wine and dill sauce. "I know that look" Sian said teasingly as I poked my fork into a piece of asparagus.<p>

"What look?" I asked, lowering my fork to look at her.

She flashed me a knowing smile before answering. "Stop looking at your dinner and thinking you could have done better!"

I mustered up the best impression of incredulity I could manage as I replied, "I'm not! I don't know what you're talking about".

"Don't give me that! I know when you've got that look on your face Sophie Webster" she giggled.

I paused for a moment. "Okay, so maybe, I might have thought…for a second about how I would've done the sauce a little differently….but only for a second!" I feebly tried to defend myself. She knew me too well.

"Come here you goof" she laughed, leaning in to give me a chaste kiss.

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><p>I didn't think I could possibly be any happier as it came time for our first dance. Sian had chosen a beautiful acoustic song called 'Today' sung by Joshua Radin and Priscilla Ahn. As the music began to play softly, we embraced in the centre of the dance floor and began turning slowly together in time to the soft acoustic music. I caught a glimpse of Sian's mum watching us proudly and of Jane flashing us thumbs up.<p>

The day had been perfect.

Sian coughed slightly, bringing me back to the moment. "You okay?" I asked pulling back slightly to look her in the eye. She coughed again covering her mouth with her right hand.

"Yeah, course. I've just had a little bit of a cough these last few days is all" she answered.

"As long as you're sure" I replied, kissing her forehead tenderly.

We continued our slow dance as the music swelled. Jane and Henry were the first people to join us on the dance floor. Sian and Jane reached out to touch each other's hands as we passed each other. They were both sisters and best friends. Jane was one of the most important people in Sian's life, so I knew how much it meant for her to have Jane with her today, as her maid of honour.

The song was just coming to an end when Sian was struck by a coughing fit. She was coughing for over a minute, the song had ended and I was beginning to worry as the next song started and people seemed oblivious to Sian's relentless coughing. "Sian…. Are you alright?" I asked when she finally managed to stop.

She was panting, trying to catch her breath and clinging to me for support. "I… I'm…. f-fine" she gasped before she started coughing again. She covered her mouth with her right hand once more and I saw her eyes bulge in fear as she stopped coughing and glanced at her palm before snapping it shut.

"Sian, what's wrong?" I asked, my worry escalating to fear. She was spluttering and I could tell she was trying to suppress the coughs. As a spurt of coughing broke through her resistance I saw a dribble of blood trickle from the side of her mouth.

"Sian!" I gasped as she slumped against me, no longer able to hold off the coughing fit. She was coughing up blood. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes but I didn't care. Nobody seemed to have noticed what was happening. "HELP!" I screamed, "Please, somebody call an ambulance, a doctor, anybody… help!"

Tears leaked shamelessly from my eyes as I held her in my arms. "Soph" she gasped, clutching at the puffy material of the halter neck dress nearest my collarbone.

"It's okay Sian. I'm here, you're going to be okay" I tried to reassure both her and myself.

Jane was the first person by our side. She too had tears streaming down her face. "N-n-no…no" she whimpered as I sank to my knees, still supporting Sian, unwilling to let go of her, afraid I'd lose her if I did. I didn't know how long it took the medics to arrive. Time seemed to move impossibly slowly, yet ridiculously quickly at the same time.

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><p>The next eight months were a blur of hospital visits, with Sian only seeming to get weaker as time passed. She was put on the waiting list for a lung transplant but even that failed to raise my hopes. I will never forget the day I found her crying on the bathroom floor. She'd started losing her hair again. I'd tried reassuring her, telling her she was beautiful regardless of what her hair looked like and reminding her that she hadn't had hair when I fell in love with her. It didn't work. I spent over an hour sitting on the floor with her, holding her as she cried. Crying myself as I watched the woman I love break.<p>

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><p><strong>Okay, there you go! D<strong>**on't forget to let me know what you think! And I promise I will have the final chapter posted before the weekend! ;)**


	20. Chapter 20

**So this is it I guess! I want to thank everyone whose supported this fic from the beginning and stuck it out til the end! you've been amazing and thank you for the patience with my less than frequent updating :)**

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><p>Today is Tuesday May 25th 2010. A week ago, Sian was admitted to hospital again for what felt like the thousandth time. I sat with her, day and night, afraid to leave her side in case something might happen. I hadn't been sleeping for the same reason. I was terrified of waking to find I'd lost her.<p>

Sian woke up at around ten o' clock this morning. "Hey" she mumbled. I could hear the strain of the last eight months in her groggy voice.

"Hi" I replied weakly, leaning up to kiss her forehead. "Did you sleep okay?" I asked as I sat back into the uncomfortable chair.

"Did you sleep at all?" she countered. A tired smile graced her features as I shook my head. "You can't keep doing this to yourself Soph" she told me earnestly.

"I love you too much" I replied.

She smiled at me. "I love you too" she whispered. Her delicate smile transitioned to a grimace of pain. She took a sharp intake of breath which only lead to more coughing. It seemed she couldn't do anything without provoking a coughing fit these days.

"Sian do you want me to get the nurse?" I questioned, jumping to her side from the chair.

"Not yet" she grunted, grabbing hold of my hand. Eventually the pain seemed to subside and she relaxed slightly. "Sit with me?" she asked looking up at me, our hands still entwined.

"Of course" I mumbled, kissing her forehead again before sliding into the bed beside her, careful to avoid the various wires and other medical paraphernalia. I wrapped an arm around her as she cuddled into me.

"Thank you" she said quietly. Her voice was hoarse and it wasn't frighteningly obvious that her frail body was exhausted.

"What for?" I asked, playing with the weak, wispy strands of hair on her head.

"Just being here" she whispered. Her breathing grew ragged and fast. My fear escalated once more as I made to get up from the bed.

"I'll get the nurse" I said quietly, afraid that if I spoke at a normal level, my voice would betray how truly terrified I was.

"No…..not yet….just stay with me for a minute" she pleaded. I never had been able to say no to Sian so I lay back, wrapping my arms around her once more. The threat of tears stung my eyes as she continued struggling to breath.

"Sian, please let me get the nurse" I begged.

"No Soph, please stay with me" she begged once more, tightening her grip on my hand. "I'll be fine in a minute" she added as dread and fear began to build from deep inside me, filling my chest as my heart began to race.

"I love you Sian" I whispered, kissing her head as a single stray tear fell down my cheek.

"I l-love you t-too Soph" she gasped.

She was getting steadily weaker. I could feel her fading.

"NURSE" I screamed from my position beside Sian on the bed. The all too familiar figure of the head nurse entered the room almost immediately. "It's okay… you'll be okay" I whispered, trying to comfort both Sian and myself at the same time.

Her body relaxed….

Her breathing stilled and I knew…

She was gone.

"Mrs Powers, you need to get off the bed" the nurse said urgently as I heard the piercing, unbroken, continuous beep of Sian's heart monitor flat-lining. They started trying to resuscitate her. It felt like they had been trying to revive her for an eternity.

I knew it was no use.

I knew she was gone.

My heart literally broke. I was frozen to the spot as the people in front of me gave me sympathetic glances, before one of them called "Time of death, 10:34 a.m. Tuesday May 25th 2010".

My mind couldn't function properly as I watched them disconnect all the wires and tubes from her body. Tears slid down my cheeks as I moved over to the bed once more. My hands shook as I took hers one last time. I kissed her forehead. "What am I supposed to do without you?" I whispered, knowing she would never answer me again.

After what seemed like hours of holding her and repeating the words "I love you" countless times, something inside me snapped and I needed to escape the surreal situation.

I ran.

I knew I would have to come back here, come back to reality. I could never really leave her but I had to get it out of my system, so I ran. I pelted down the corridor and opted for the staircase rather than waiting for the lifts. I reached the ground floor of the hospital but kept going, towards the main doors.

I almost fell head first down the granite steps as I hurtled out of the building, running down the quiet street. I could vaguely see the flickering blur of the iron bars that joined the pillars of the stone wall as I ran past. I didn't know where I was going. I didn't care. I kept running, ignoring the fire of protest burning in my lungs. The hot sting of tears prickled threateningly at my eyes. As I eventually stopped running, believing one of my lungs was literally about to explode, I finally allowed the tears to fall, blurring my vision.

I noticed an alleyway to my left and ventured inside in the hope of escaping the bustle of the city dwellers, going about their lives, completely oblivious to the torment I was enduring. Tears continued to fall thick and fast and I could feel bile rising up from inside me. Wretching violently, I leaned against one of the alley walls, supporting myself with one raised arm as I vomited into the gutter below me.

Once the wretching had subsided, I straightened up, wiping my mouth on my sleeve, still coughing and spluttering because of the vomiting. I moved further into the alleyway, until I had almost reached the other side. Deciding I could go no further, I slumped against the wall, defeated. Tears began to trickle down my cheeks once more as I slid to the ground. Resting my elbows on my knees, I buried my face in my palms.

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><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

"Sian… close the window" I grumble sleepily, inhaling deeply in the hope that the heavenly scent of her mandarin shampoo mixed with the amazing smell that is entirely unique to her will lull me back to sleep. I was woken by the sound of bird singing in the dawn of a new day. I hadn't closed the window last night.

My eyes snap open as I remember.

There's nobody to hear me speak. I am alone in the bed.

The familiar sting of tears pricks at my eyes as I stare at the empty space beside me. I don't bother trying to stop the tears anymore. There's no point. It's been a week since Sian's funeral. I've barely gotten out of bed since the burial. My mind is still haunted by the images of the horrors that have destroyed my life.

After the burial was the first time I'd been back in the flat since Sian had left it for the last time. Everything was exactly as we'd left it. I haven't moved anything. I can't bare the thought of moving anything. I can't bare the thought of removing those last traces of her from our home.

An empty glass she'd drank apple juice from is still sitting on the coffee table in the living room. Her snuggie is still crumpled on the couch where she'd had it while watching tv. Her trainers are still on the floor beside the front door. Her toothbrush is still lying on the side of the sink. I'd asked her a million times to leave it in the cup but she always ended up leaving it on the side of the sink anyway. What I wouldn't give to be arguing about something so silly and meaningless with her now.

The bedroom was the hardest thing I'd had to face since my return. Because I can't bare to remove evidence of her having lived here, because I can't bare to take Sian's presence out of our home, or perhaps because I'm a glutten for punishment, I refuse to move or change anything that might make me loose her last moments in our home together. Perhaps its creepy and will delay me healing but I don't care. I'll never recover from losing her anyway.

I haven't even changed the bed sheets. Her pillow still smells like her. The dent in the pillow where her head rested is still visible. There's a single strand of blond hair on the top right hand corner of her pillow. On her bedside locker, lies one of her copies of 'To Kill A Mockingbird'. Her bookmark still in it, showing the last page she'd read while she was here. Her reading glasses are perched safely on top of the book.

The only things I have touched since returning to the apartment are the copy of the book that had been on one of the shelves in the living room (she'd had her third copy with her in the hospital) and her iPod.

I was finally reading the book I'd promised her so long ago I would _'try'_ to read. One of my greatest regrets is that I hadn't read it in time to talk about it with her.

I had found her iPod on the desk by the window where she finished off work projects. Her last project is still scattered around the desk. I have her iPod in the bed with me. I don't dare change the song. I've been listening repeatedly to the last song she listened to on it; 'Freedom's Not for Me' by Michael Paynter. It's in a playlist she's titled 'Sophie xx'. She had shown me the playlist before. It was any song she'd ever heard that reminded her of me. 'Freedom's Not for Me' was her most recent favourite because she found it after we'd had a fight and she thought it was perfect for us. The fight wasn't even a fight, it was something stupid and small. We'd both said things we didn't mean. She showed it to me and I loved it as much as she did because it was about a guy who was losing the girl he loved but wants to keep her. He doesn't want to be free from her. We both agreed it suited us because we love each other to much to even consider being _'free'_ from one another.

There is one line in the chorus that struck home for both of us and for me now more than ever;

'_If this is what it's like, to be free to live my life, then I guess, that baby this means, freedom's not for me'._

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><p><strong><em>Well there you have it guys! This fice was based on an essay I wrote when I was in school. When I wrote it for school I had to shorten it and take out ideas (it was still 9 pages long after that!) so I thought one day i could make it a Siophie fic so i could have a place to develop the story! I would like to thank everyone who supported this fic for letting me develop this story! It was my favourite essay i've ever written! I even made my english teacher cry! So to be able to explore it more fully has been great!<em>**

**_Anyway, please let me know what you thought and I hope you've enjoyed reading this fic as much as I have enjoyed writing it :) Xx_**


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